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IEAC Assessment 2.edited
IEAC Assessment 2.edited
v=MoErkesyMyM
Transcript
Our thoughts and feelings surrounding disabilities and inclusion are impacted heavily
from the media. The media can portray both positive and negative views of
disabilities which helps the audience develop their own attitudes. However, people
with disabilities are often viewed negatively through stereotypes. The media can
persuade the way the audience is to view people with disabilities, which often is then
reflected on how we treat people with disabilities in real life (Kapus, 2014). In many
movies, the person with the disability is often seen as the laughable character and
who is unable to participate in everyday activities. However, this is not the case in
The movie ‘Wonder’ follows a young boy, Auggie, who was born with Treacher
Collins Syndrome, which is a condition where some of their bones and tissues in
their face aren't developed. After being homeschooled all of his life, Auggie now
transitions into mainstream schooling for grade 5. From Auggie’s viewpoint, he had
surgery to make him fit in better socially, not to improve his function. Auggie’s
with disabilities are just ordinary people. The movie provides the audience with a
realistic representation of the mixed attitudes that members of the society have on
people with disabilities. The movie addresses stereotype challenges and exclusivity
that people with disabilities face daily. However, in saying this, the movie shows the
audience that Auggie is just like every other ten-year-old boy, where he has normal
shown to be no different from any of the other children besides his physical
appearance. In many films “when a character has a disability, the disability itself is
often seen as the whole character” (Samsel & Perepa, 2013). However, this is not
the case in this movie. Auggie’s disability is a barrier for him as physically looks
different to everyone else, where he often gets judged and isolated based on his
appearance. Throughout the movie, Auggie's Mother continually tells him how
important it is to embrace his individuality by telling him "You can't blend in when you
were born to stand out". In the movie, Auggie is often wearing an astronaut helmet to
help hide his face, used to gain a sense of safety and belonging. The movie also
explores the effects that societal views have on people with a disability. One scene
shows Auggie asking his mother "why do I have to be so ugly". Through this, the
audience can gain an understanding of how Auggie feels after being bullied due to
his physical appearance. Towards the end of the movie, once Auggie's peers get to
know him, they discover that he is just like them. I'm sure many people with
disabilities are often faced with. The barriers and stereotypes that are presented in
this film play a significant role in Auggie’s character. This movie shows that people
people having very little knowledge of people with disabilities, they are likely to
believe any stereotypes they hear (Pearson & Trevisan, 2015). Auggie’s peers ask
him if he has to eat special food and assume that he is academically challenged.
One of the students tells Auggie that science is quite hard and he might not be able
Another stereotype people with disabilities are often faced with is that people with
disabilities are incapable of living and participating in everyday life. However, even
though Auggie has a disability, he is able to go to school and was able to participate
in everything that all the other students could do and make friends. The movie also
shows how people with disabilities are bullied through language. Auggie is seen to
be bullied verbally at school where he is called 'a hideous freak', 'the plague' and he
even overhears a group of boys at school saying, "if I looked like him I would kill
myself". Research shows that children with a disability are bullied twice as often as
children without a disability (Schwartz, Blue, Mcdonald, Giuliani, Weber, Seirup, &
Perkins, 2010).
Wonder provides an accurate representation of disabilities and inclusion throughout
students who have bullied Auggie and makes it clear to everyone “that this school
has no room for bullying”. The principal is an advocate for inclusivity, where he
educates students and teachers on disabilities. The principal states that "(Auggie)
can't change the way he looks but maybe we can change the way we see him".
Another representation of inclusion is seen when one of Auggie's peers can view his
disability from a different perspective. Instead of bullying him, he has empathy for
him and tries to become his friend. Once he becomes friends with Auggie, he then
realises that Auggie is funny, smart, and a good friend. This is essentially what the
movie wants to promote, a society where we promote inclusion, equality and not let
stereotypes influence our judgement (Lu, Webber, Romero, & Chirino, 2018).
teaches the audience how we need to be kind, accepting and tolerant. We must not
make judgements from the way someone looks. This movie shows how people with
disabilities benefits a whole society. The main moral of this movie is to always look
Delo, 53(3-5), 199.
Lu, J., Webber, W., Romero, D., & Chirino, C. (2018). Changing attitudes toward
Pearson, C., & Trevisan, F. (2015). Disability activism in the new media ecology:
Samsel, M., & Perepa, P. (2013). The impact of media representation of disabilities
Schwartz, D., Blue, E., Mcdonald, M., Giuliani, G., Weber, G., Seirup, H., & Perkins,