Once upon a time, disability was just a diagnosis. Through time, the word has evolved to encompass larger more expansive concepts like community, identity, and culture. In 2020 anyone who still thinks of disability solely as a medical issue might not realize it but they’re also increasingly signaling to the world at large that they’re behind the times not just in theory but arguably by several decades.
Culturally, for a variety of reasons, both experiences and depictions of disability are receiving renewed interest and increased attention. Cinematically speaking, the complicated, messy, ever-changing relationship that viewers and creators have had with disability continues—quite literally—to play out before our very eyes.
Before we can truly move forward, let us pause a moment to glance back.