Am I the only person having a difficult time reading for pleasure right now? Besides my usual guilt of reality TV, I’ve been escaping with other shows and movies. Of course, even in relaxing, I see disability everywhere. I’m still trying to figure out ways to incorporate these three examples into my next slide deck, but for now, I’ll share them with you.
The Godfather: We started watching The Godfather as a family because references are everywhere in pop culture. You also never know when you might need a stable family business structure; I’m kidding. In one scene, the Godfather when confronted with his reluctance to engage, counters: “When did I ever refuse an accommodation? All of you know me . . . “
And then he refers to “just that one time.” The “one time” is when he wouldn’t agree to diversifying the mob business into a drug trade with the other bosses. An employee asking to start a drug cartel would not be a reasonable accommodation, just in case that’s what brought you here. Clearly, the Godfather isn’t a movie about disability, but the Godfather’s lines probably require a trigger warning for people who have navigated those processes. When did your employer refuse? Well, just that one time.
The English Teacher: As someone who worked in education, I’m getting caught up in the sarcasm and cringe of The English Teacher which involves a Latin gay English teacher trying to counter conservatism by working in a suburban Austin school. One of my favorite moments was a scene where the teachers were trying to implement a testing-related accommodation for a student. The moments of awkwardness range from staff correcting each other about what they could disclose to other students claiming that her disability is selling her ADHD meds. Then the student unfurls a yoga mat, demands an Epi Pen, and shushes the test proctors for asking disability-related questions. It’s like every organization’s panic about disability rolled into so many stereotypes. Let’s unpack!
Doc: A doctor is involved in a serious car accident where she loses eight years of her memory. It turns out those were the years she was the meanest. While her colleagues question that she can do her job given that those years involved skill-building and advances in technology and medicine, the hospital administrators (namely, her ex-husband who still has feelings for her) claim they are forced by the Americans with Disabilities Act to keep her and provide her with opportunities. Ha– I can imagine that if that’s how the ADA worked, many people would be resentful or confused. Here’s to having a stable of smitten exes in charge if we all get amnesia. The show is pretty awful, but it’s no worse than the news.
Disclaimer: Justice, Actually is a blog from a lawyer with poor taste in television. It’s not legal advice.
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