#septepus

Finding Dory does an excellent job of expanding on the societal prejudices and perceptions of physically disabled people compared to people with mental  differences. Dory's character development goes hand in hand with the story of  Marlin. Finding Dory teaches 

2 lessons: pride for those with cognitive differences and teaches non-disabled people to go beyond tolerance or inclusivity in activities. 

That's not valuing the whole person. It is a step toward  acknowledging disability compared to "not seeing disability," which is a positive. "Both Marlin and Dory eventually learn that this is not the case, proving to the  audience that Dory's unique mindset, something caused by her disability, is  actually a useful trait. Marlin is actually the first to identify Dory's difference as  valuable." (Klinowski 53) 

In Finding Dory, we meet a septopus named Hank. He is the bridging character between having a physical disability and still holding an ableist mindset of Dory  (a mentally different character. He reiterates what Marlin and Dory's first  encounter was like saying, "there's something wrong with you." Hank's disability is not a massive part of the plot. Instead he is focused on living life in a glass box. He says he has “extremely bad memories” of the ocean. This suggests he was traumatized by losing a tentacle emphasizing the emotional side of having a disability. 

"After characters initially question Dory's capability, the film  finally begins to show the audience that these accusations are misguided. The  scene where Dory and Hank make their way through the Institute inside a baby  carriage exemplifies this shift in how the film portrays disabled characters.  (Finding Dory 00:38:46-00:39:35) This scene puts Dory in charge of giving  directions to Hank to get them to the right exhibit to find her parents. Showing how reading human is a skill that continues beyond the first film. It is a strength Dory can utilize without Marlin.  

In Finding Dory's baby carriage scene, " the viewers' expectations of the  partnership are reversed. Because of Dory's cognitive disability and the  discriminatory remarks already levied against her within the film, the audience  might expect that Dory would require assistance in the intellectual work needed  to find her parents. Similarly, because Hank is missing a limb, viewers might  dismiss the possibility that he could take care of the physical side of this  endeavor. This scene disproves these ableist assumptions. (Klinowski 53) 

In the first film, Dory begs Marlin not to leave her. "Please don't go away, no  one's ever stuck with me so long before, and if you leave, I just remember things  better with you."

 Everybody needs companionship.Finding Nemo is about inclusiveness. Specifically the need for inclusion despite resistance from able bodied characters. Having Dory cling to Marlin is a way to enforce that non disabled people must include disabled people because they have "special needs." Finding Dory shows independence and the community aspect of people  with disabilities. Dory has more than enough characters to rely on besides the non-disabled. She teaches Hank, a fellow disabled character, the value of  optimism. She is guided by a friend named Destiny, a blind white whale. 

Even Destiny's dependency on her non-disabled friend, Bailly, is played for laughs because Destiny is the brains while Bailly is the eyes. Everyone with a disability has value and can rely on their community, while able-bodied characters learn  how to value disabled characters beyond inclusion.

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