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Valorising Disability on Screen: When Did ‘Inspirational’ Become a Dirty Word?

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Documentary and Disability

Abstract

This chapter examines autobiographical documentary in general and intellectual disability in particular. Wain reflects upon the creation of 18q- A Different Kind of Normal, a documentary feature, risks of self-representation and representation of those with intellectual disability. In countering entrenched disability narratives of despair and parent as hero characterisations used in disability-driven documentary and drama, she discusses the challenges in delivering a film to inspire, yet remaining true to realistic portrayals of parenting a person with intellectual disability. Drawing upon Dilthey’s historicity, disability studies and Rabiger’s narrative analysis, the film inspires parents of children living with intellectual disability in general and chromosomal differences on the 18th chromosome in particular by adhering to narrative conventions, yet departing from them in the context of disability.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See e.g. Couser’s (2004) discussion of the novel The Broken Cord by Michael Dorris.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith Film School, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Veronica Wain

Authors
  1. Veronica Wain
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Veronica Wain .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Film, Media and Design, University of West London , London, United Kingdom

    Catalin Brylla

  2. School of Literature and Languages, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom

    Helen Hughes

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Wain, V. (2017). Valorising Disability on Screen: When Did ‘Inspirational’ Become a Dirty Word?. In: Brylla, C., Hughes, H. (eds) Documentary and Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59894-3_4

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