9/15/26 - In the movies

Hello!

These three pieces just all came together kind of naturally. I love when they do that.

Being Heumann Review: The Disability Representation We've Been Waiting For

Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven - September 10, 2026

"I've written in my book about how Tod Browning's 1932 movie Freaks, about a troupe of circus oddities, remains the only U.S. made movie with a predominately disabled cast. Pretty sure Being Heumann officially breaks that record. When Heumann, galvanized, tells everyone they're going inside the HEW building to take it over, it's a thunderous moment of watching wheelchair users, people on crutches, the blind, etc. all try to find their way, together, in order to take it over. Having never seen so many disabled actors on one screen, let alone showing off their individual conditions, it's so powerful. And there is time devoted to how the various different communities all want the same things, yet refuse to work together. That above scene of the takeover is a beautiful example of co-operation, as wheelchair users help lead blind protesters in."

What Accessibility Looked Like on the Set of FURIOUS

Steve Way, Steve Way's Substack - September 8, 2026

"When I said I was fine and good to keep filming, that was the end of the conversation. Nobody overrode me or decided on my behalf that I’d had enough ... That sounds small but it’s what made the difference. I’ve spent my life in rooms where somebody else got appointed the expert on how my body was doing. On that set I was the expert on my body, everyone took my word for it, and we went back to work to create the biggest show of the summer."

Japan Autism Association raises ethical concerns over Mii-Chan and Miss Yamada anime for “turning vulnerable people into entertainment”

Akira Sada, Automation - September 11, 2026

"The manga series centers on a young woman who struggles with reading social cues and is inferred to be mentally disabled. The announcement has sparked controversy in Japan due to the sensitive subject matter, as well as adjacent issues like the name 'Mii-chan' becoming a pejorative term among young people in real life ... Most recently, the Japan Autism Association (hereafter JAA) released an opinion paper addressing the manga’s problematic nature. Titled 'An Opinion on the Completed Manga Mii-Chan and Miss Yamada,' the paper argues that real-life struggles, particularly those of individuals with learning disabilities, are being 'exploited for commercial success (profit).'"

I no longer believe – as I did 20 years ago as a newbie disability commentator on the internet, or, for that matter 35 years ago when I wrote a deeply naive Master's thesis on the subject – that disability stories in the movies are always worth celebrating. I have come to see that participation of actual disabled actors, writers, and crew can be as important, often more, than disabled characters and stories. I also no longer assume as I did 10 years ago that disability representation on film alone can change perceptions of disabled people or our place in society. But I still believe that disability on screen, from all angles, is an important, uniquely powerful component of shaping disability culture, and how broader popular culture understands disabled people and disability life. Being able to read three such interesting and different takes on the topic is also incredibly encouraging.

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