I see your point, Kyle. Thanks.

I checked out the website, Bobby. This guy is sick and twisted but I liked him, lol! My favourite is the abandoned wheelchair in the desert with the posse. The caption reads "Don't worry, he won't get far on foot." I thought that was hysterical. I remember shocking a whole room full of twin and triplet mothers once when I made the comment that at least 2 of my year-old triplets stayed where I put them! My friends with special needs kids would laugh at a comment like that - humour, even the sick stuff is the only thing that gets you through some days! :-)

Yvonne
Mom to survivng triplets Bobby & Anthony (CP), age 4 and our angel, Joey (CP)


>>> [log in to unmask] 03/01/02 12:54PM >>>
I guess it begs the issue of why have a kid in a chair anyway, if you're not
going to explain why he's there.  If we are looking at Pelswick's live as a
quad, there is no getting around that fact that IT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT on
his life and the lives of his friends.  Everyday.

I'm not syaing that the disability shoould be the focus of the show--far
from it!  What I AM saying is that an occasional rference to his disability,
and its etiology, should be referenced every once in a while.  For my kids
it raised more questions than it answered.  That posed no problem for me, as
I am a PWD, but able-bodied parents of able-bodied kids need "a leg up", so
to speak.  They have no frame of reference, no category for this.  Would
that not be the rationale behind having a PWD as the "star" of the 'toon?  I
think too, Yvonne, that comparing adult programming with kids' programming
is apples and oranges.  I'm sure Mr. Callahan wrote "Pelswick" so that kids
would see the disabled as being emotionally and intellectually equal (or
better, in some cases) than their peers.  It just needs a little
contextualization, that's all.

-Kyle

-----Original Message-----
From: Yvonne Craig [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 11:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask] 
Subject: Re: superheroes;"crip toons" (was mpeg?? not!!!)


I haven't seen the show but I have a question. I do understand your point =
about just being a PC show. Maybe it is (the cynic in me says probably). =
But would it be any better to focus on the disability issues? It would =
have to be done VERY cleverly to avoid being preachy or patronizing. If =
not done very well it could do more to promote stereotyping. Isn't what =
the disabled community wants is to be accepted like everyone else? What =
relevance is there to an explanation of why the child is in the chair? He =
is and should be accepted as such. I saw a rerun of an episode of Quincy a =
few weeks ago. There was a scene where Quincy goes to some office for some =
information. The clerk behind the desk happened to be in a wheelchair. =
That's it. No explanation, no comment about his disability. Just a =
"normal" guy doing his job who happens to be in a chair. Isn't that a more =
powerful message? There was a discussion a while ago about how some films =
like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" had characters with =
disabilities but this was in no way relevant to the plots. They were just =
there. Many people on this list thought this was great - positive images =
of the disabled community.

In my earlier post I talked about children with special needs in children's=
 videos. One example is an Elmo video. There is a segment on books. A boy, =
Michael, goes with his dad to the library to find books on dinosaurs. =
That's it. Except that Michael obviously has Down's Syndrome. I know that, =
but my kids see just another little boy going to the library and enjoying =
his books.=20

I don't know if I'm explaining this well. But as a TAB, I'm feeling =
confused and frustrated. Just when I think I'm starting to "get it" I =
realize I don't.  Help! :-)=20

Yvonne
Mom to Bobby and Anthony (CP), 4 years old


>>> [log in to unmask] 03/01/02 09:30AM >>>
Thinking of super heroes made me think of kid's TV programming.  Has =
anyone
on the list seen the cartoon "Pelswick"?  It's either on Cartoon Network =
or
Nickelodeon.

Anyway, Pelswick is a pre-teen in a motorized chair.  The show is
"situational comedy" along the same lines as another genre 'toon, "Hey,
Arnold".  The network has done an admirable job of presenting Pelswick as =
a
(BIG quotes here) "normal kid", experiencing the same situations and
emotions as his peers.  I do beleive, though, that the cartoon is an =
attempt
by its writers to produce a politically correct show--and that's all.

"Pelswick" fails miserably to demonstrate the issues a disabled kid faces.
All of the other kids treat Pelswick as if there is no anomaly--he is just
another kid who happens to be in a chair.  They've created this "fairy =
tale"
world where his disability does not hamper him in the least.  He is not
picked on by the other kids, never has trouble getting on the bus, never =
has
problems with his chair, never has problems with accessibility at his
ancient big-city school.  Not only that, the reason for Pelswick's being =
in
the chair is never explained.  The viewer has no idea if he had a =
pre-natal
injury, childhood accident, disabling virus, etc.

The writers could have made this show multi-dimensional and intriguing for
disabled and able-bodied kids alike.  I'm sure they feel pretty smug about
creating a cartoon featuring a kid with a disability.  Only problem
is---they didn't.

-Kyle