• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame is back, this time with the show 30 Days, which drops people (for a month’s time) into lifestyles vastly different than the ones to which they’re acustomed. Spurlock has documented a Christian living with a family of atheists, a border patrol officer living with a family of illegal immigrants, and a hunting enthusiast living as an animal rights activist.

The June 10, 2008 episode finally tackled the issue of disability. To do it, Spurlock chose Ray Crockett, a former NFL cornerback with two Super Bowl wins under his belt, to live as a wheelchair user and have the experience taped. According to the FX network, Crockett wanted to be the subject of the episode partly because, in 1991, his teammate and friend Mike Utley was paralyzed from the chest down during a game.

Crockett began his preparation at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation in Dallas. He watched the rehabilitation efforts of 35-year-old Shannon Davis, a recently-paralyzed patient preparing to go home after recovering from a car accident. He also attended support groups and was at his wife’s mercy for car rides to his business meetings (at least until he added hand controls to his own car). “What the hell have I got myself into?” is one of Crockett’s early laments in response to his new, temporary lifestyle.

Crockett also modified his house to accommodate his wheelchair, but acknowledged that most people living with a disability don’t have the funds to go to the lengths that he was able to in order to make life more comfortable. That reality was driven home when Crockett visited the home of a young man who was paralyzed after landing in shallow water during an ill-fated attempt at rope swinging. Crockett experienced first hand how much more difficult it is to navigate the house in which his new friend lives - an older home that has been retro-fitted as well as possible.

As the end of his 30 days approaches, Crockett realizes that life with a disability and independence aren’t mutually-exclusive states of being (and with that, he gains a better understanding of what life with a disability is really like). He even returns to his athletic roots, this time as a member of the Texas Stampede, the wheelchair rugby team documented in the film Murderball.

In addition, the connections he’s made through his time at Baylor seem genuine - Crockett acknowledges the strength of those around him not as people with disabilities, but simply, as his friends. They’re not made out to be heroes but are uniquely portrayed as folks Crockett relates to, has shared his life with, and learned from.

Of course, at the end of the 30 days, Crockett returned to his life as usual. But a closing scene in which he shares with his family his insights into life with a disability makes it obvious that he’s learned a great deal from the experience, that he can now see past the disability and into the person, and that he wants others to be able to do the same. Now that’s cutting-edge television.