Representation Of Disability In Casualty.

During this scene of casualty there is a clear representation of disability through two characters and they are both represented in contrasting way. The director of this show uses, Camera shots/angles, mise en scene, editing and sound to give us a clear representation of the disability and the affects it has on the character. The director also represents for and against disabled stereotypes in this scene.

At the very start of the scene the director uses the angling of the camera to have the abled bodied person closer to the camera and the disabled person is in the background looking up to him, this camera shot can be very affective because it shows the abled body person is at the forefront of the action and is the main attraction, while the disabled person is always in the back. Having the disabled in the background could be a suggestion of things to come, that the abled body person gets all of the respect and praise and the disabled person is overlooked and not really noticed, this goes along with the stereotype of disabled people, they’re stereotype is that they are overlooked and not really useful and the way the camera is positioned could suggest this.

A few seconds later in this scene the disabled person is asked if he would like to try one on (a jumper) he then replies with ‘I have an incurable disease’, he says this quite bitterly and also sounds very spiteful when he says this, this can suggest that he is very annoyed with himself and the fact that he has this disease. It also suggest that this disease he has is always on his mind and it is a continuous dark thought of his, the music in this scene contrasts heavily with his thoughts and the overall seriousness in what he is saying, the song in the back ground is an upbeat Christmas song, this is very ironic and contrasts with the character greatly. Another part of this scene which shows that he is a spiteful an irritated character is when the abled body character tries to push him and the disabled person says ‘stop pushing’ this goes along with the general stereotype. Disabled people want to be independent and don’t want people help them, so this part goes along with this stereotype to great extent.

Later on in the scene the Disabled person is seen to be quite pathetic, he needs his friends help to go to the bathroom, this could suggest that he does need a lot of help and he cannot manage on his own and requires all this attention even though he may not want it, this again goes along with the stereotype of disabled people because they require a lot of attention and help.

Another representation of disability is when we meet the man with narcolepsy; the man is represented to be a very nice polite person and he is not very spiteful about his disability, this contrasts the other character with a disability who is very spiteful and doesn’t really care for other people but the other person is very nice, this goes against the overall stereotype of disabled people, to reiterate the stereotype is to be very vengeful and hateful person due to the misfortunate disease they have, but we are led to believe that this isn’t the case with this particular character.

Overall in this scene the director uses two contrasting characters to show two sides of the stereotype one going against it and the other giving a clear indication that it is going for it.