TV shows showcasing characters and performers with disabilities, like Speechless, aren’t easy to find and they keep getting cancelled. When was the first time you saw yourself or something similar to your life experiences represented in a book, television show or movie? The only people who didn’t have to stop and think that through are straight, able bodied, white men. Let that sink in for a second. The first time I felt I found something I could identify with, even if it was in only a slight way, was in the television show Friday Night Lights. I would make sense for me to identify with Jason Street, the small town Texas high school quarterback whose dreams are derailed by a spinal cord injury. But no – I identified with Herc – the smart-assed guy who’s also injured, and becomes Jason’s mentor of sorts. I related to him because he Moved like me. He moved through the world with an attitude similar to mine. He physically moved like a quadriplegic. So much so, that when I Googled Kevin Rankin and discovered he was able-bodied, I was shocked and a little disappointed, because I had been so happy to believe, “Finally they’ve […]

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