Disabilities in Media

Disability coverage in the media has always been one sided for me, ever since I was a little kid. My uncle suffered a stroke when I was younger and all my life, I have watched my mom take care of him and he has been a big part of my life. This has made me especially sensitive to media coverage about "cripples". It always appears that the media tries to play the pity card every time they speak to a handicapped person. They try to stir up feelings of pity and sympathy in order to get their target audience to be shocked or moved. Well, handicapped people ARE NOT people to be used to stir up the emotional crock pot. My uncle is one of the happiest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing or being around. Aside from his easy shamble and his slow speech, you would never guess the hardships that he has been through. If the media plan on calling him anything, it should be a survivor.