A History of Disabling Images
Tiny Tim, from 'A Christmas Carol' (25)	Like all minority groups,people with disabilities have become sensitized to depictions of disability in religion, the media and history. Within these depictions, they find constant reminders of a disabled person's "proper" role as either an object of pity or a source of inspiration. Internalized by both disabled and nondisabled people, these images result in social stereotypes.They also create artificial limitations and contribute to the discrimination and minority status hated by most disabled people.
Captain Ahab, the crazed sea captain from Moby Dick (26) Captain Hook, the evil pirate from "Peter Pan" (27)	Portrayals in literature and popular culture, too, shape our images of disability. Often a disabled character is depicted as helpless and childish, likeTiny Tim in Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol', and in need of care by a nondisabled person. Authors exaggerated a disability as an emblem of a character's sinister, evil or morally flawed nature. Remember Herman Mellville'sCaptain Ahab, who lost a leg to Moby Dick and his mind in a madly obsessive pursuit of revenge? Often characters were given disabilities to make them more ominous; considerCaptain Hook,The Hunchback of Notre Dame andLenny, the mentally retarded character in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, who killed living things, including young women, because he was unaware of his own strength. These images reflect society's deepest fears and prejudices about people with disabilities.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (28) Lenny, from "Of Mice and Men" (29)	Persons with disabilities have emerged as a consumer group. They are asserting their rights, demanding language, advertising, movies and television that present more positive and realistic portrayals of disabled characters. There is a new militancy, too. People with disabilities have come to recognize their strength in numbers. Regardless of the dialogue, persons with disabilities recognize the power of images in determining their place within society.