Author: Digital Marketing Intern

One of the biggest things I can recall growing up hearing about are stories told about people with disabilities and special needs. Someone always had something to say (or repeated from an older sibling/family member) and it was almost always negative or derogatory. When you get older you start to understand just how wrong that was and how the world is a lot less simple than “this is black” and “this is white.” So here are some common myths that tend to come up in conversations surround people with special needs:

Putting a high-profile actor in a role where they are asked to portray a character with special needs is nothing new and has been taking place for quite some time. What we should be wondering is, why? Why not cast the part to someone who understands every aspect of the role?

A few weeks ago, an intern here at The Achievement Center of Texas put out a blog discussing special needs representation in film. The discussed the portrayal of those with special needs in the medium, as well as the ethical dilemma of an able-bodied actor playing a disabled character. After its release, we got to thinking about representation in in other forms of entertainment; so here we’ll be talking about television.

TED (or technology, entertainment and design) Talks have featured presentations from phenomenal speakers with the brightest minds in many fields including science, philosophy, entertainment, business, philanthropy, art and religion. The nonprofit organization serves as a platform for intellectual individuals to speak freely about their passions, inspiring their audiences. Amongst a plethora of other inspirational speeches, TEDTalks regarding special needs are exceptionally moving as they reveal the gifts hidden behind disabilities, challenging conceptions of normalcy. Here are 10 of the best TedTalks about special needs:

12.6 percent of people in the United States are living with disabilities as of 2015, according to the American Communications survey. That’s over one in eight people. Despite this vast number within the population, individuals with disabilities still face discrimination. However, perhaps not in ways you may be thinking of. Many, if not most, people with disabilities are victims of ableism.