Sure it's gotten better over the past decade, if only marginally, but let's be positive. We're seeing more PWDs (or people with disabilities) on primetime television. Unfortunately, the Hollywood standard of able-bodied actors playing these parts is still ever-pervasive (and downright infuriating), and disabled characters are all too frequently given second billing, but coverage of the disability community in mainstream media is improving.

Who's Getting It
The series Ed nailed it with the comic portrayal of a paraplegic bowling manager (artfully played by real life roller Darryl Mitchell) for it's full four-season run. We cheered when Eli scored a dance with Lindsay in the homecoming episode of Freaks & Geeks (which spoke volumes alone for all outsiders in the high school microcosm). We swooned at the one-two-punch of the alluring Marlee Matlin in both The L Word and My Name is Earl. And we fell (even harder, if possible) for Peter Dinklage after seeing him highlight the fourth season of Nip/Tuck.

We can applaud shows like House (featuring Hugh Laurie as the irritable and ingenious Dr. House) and the award-winning AMC series Breaking Bad  that features Ralph Mitte as a teen living with cerebral palsy whose father has found a new (if not morally questionable) zest for life. Writers might finally (seem to) be getting more comfortable with writing about disability instead of walking on the proverbial eggshells. But there is still a persistent attitude of political correctness that haunts even the almost accurate portrayals of PWDs.

Disability on British TV
But there are some countries that seem to be taking a few risks. Take the British, for example. In addition to characters on several popular series (Eastenders, Holby City and I'm With Stupid, which features several actors with disabilities), the smash sketch show Little Britain features a character, Andy Pipkin, who has gained immeasurable popularity.

At first glance, Andy Pipkin appears to be confined to a wheelchair and is always accompanied by his caregiver, Lou. Lou is patient with Andy's often inane requests, but always seems to be miffed by the act of fulfilling them.

Of course, the second Lou turns away, Andy jumps up from his wheelchair. In one sketch, he dives from a high board at the local pool. In another, he runs from a supermarket with an armful of stolen goods. However, Andy always returns to his chair before Lou realizes he's gone. Offensive to some? Perhaps. But bloody brilliant, as the Brits would say? Certainly.

The charm of this ongoing joke is not only the mild frustration of Lou as caregiver and friend, but also the fact that Lou is even more obnoxious than Andy. He sees Andy as a frail man in need of constant help, and Andy, in turn, toys with him incessantly. Here is a fictional relationship that is far from polite and careful.

Animated Disability
Where the UK is perhaps not quite as successful is the new animated short, Creature Discomforts. The series was created by Aardman Animations, the same team that originated Wallace & Gromit,  and features talking animals with disabilities. The six animated animals (including a dachshund, garden slug, stick insect, turtle, hedgehog and bull terrier) were created as an advertising campaign for Leonard Cheshire, a British organization designed to provide support for people living with disabilities worldwide.

The campaign is a huge leap forward for the foundation, whose antiquated institutional care model was long overdue for a serious update. However, they come off decidedly cutesy. Yes, the creatures are adorable and thoroughly lovable. Yes, they're a part of a nationwide message to promote disability awareness in Great Britain that will undoubtedly get worldwide attention. But can these cuddly animations really "change the way you see disability," as the campaign slogan states? Probably not.

Animated characters that push the envelope, however, are where American writers really hit a homerun.

Joe Swanson on The Family Guy
Joe Swanson is the macho, barrel-chested neighbor of the Griffin family on Fox's animated series The Family Guy. While he might have anger issues and a few badly concealed prejudices, it is not his overzealous portrayal that makes him a great character with a disability. It's how the other characters on the show interact with him. Nothing is sacred on The Family Guy and practically every discernable social standard is broken through deliberate satire. No one is spared, including Joe.

Joe regains the use of his legs in several hilarious episodes, only to be injured once again to return to his wheelchair. Joe choreographs community theater musicals and has a successful career as one of the Quahog police force's best officers. He enjoys a healthy sex life (as shown by his perpetually pregnant wife, Bonnie, and angst-y teenage son, Kevin) and hits homeruns on the baseball diamond. He might appear to be a supercrip, but further observation reveals he can be a trigger-happy guy who throws temper tantrums and gets mind-numbingly drunk like the rest of his buddies. In short, he's every bit as messed up as the rest of the cast on Spooner Street.

Which brings us to another fantastically dysfunctional (and perhaps most revered) animated character: Timmy.

Timmy and Jimmy on South Park
It's ironic that Comedy Central execs were on the fence about Timmy joining the cast of the already provocative show, South Park. Touting themselves as "equal opportunity offenders," South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker fought to include Timmy. He's characterized by a constant grin, motorized wheelchair and the animated use of his own name to express his thoughts.

His disability is never identified (he might be a kid with CP, but an episode reveals that both of his parents are living with a similar condition, alluding to a genetic predisposition), but Timmy is every bit as twisted and thoroughly lovable as the rest of the kids in South Park. His depiction is unabashed, full-on satire, and easily the boldest representation of disability on American television ever. So revered, in fact, that he was voted "The Greatest Disabled TV Character" by a progressive British audience in a poll posed by BBC disability-centric site, OUCH! in 2005.

Timmy is a welcomed member of the South Park crew, teased, tormented and adored even by the ill-tempered bully, Cartman. Timmy isn't just a happy-go-lucky kid, but has a playfully maniacal side.

Upon introduction to South Park's newest crip, Jimmy (a shaggy-haired charmer on crutches who wins the gang over with his stand-up comedy act), in the episode "Cripple Fight," Timmy becomes noticeably jealous and even plots to have Jimmy killed. A knock-drown, drag-out fight ensues between the boys as yet another example of just how far Parker and Stone are willing to go. However, the episode resolves with the boys joining forces to become allies. The duo even become accepted by the street gang, the Crips, in a later episode titled "Krazy Kripples."

As audience members, we hoped for Timmy's success in using 'Gobbles', a turkey with a physical limitation, in a holiday production of the Helen Keller story. We thrust our fists into the air when he snagged a spot as front man in the thrash metal band "The Lords of the Underworld," and nodded our heads in happy agreement when his bandmates complained, "Timmy gets all the chicks." Timmy never loses face, and the invitation to laugh with him is constant.

Part of the appeal of characters like Timmy is that they give people the opportunity to start a dialogue about what's acceptable and what's just downright offensive.

Thanks to: BBC Ouch!  and Lawrence Carter Long for continuous insight.

Visit www.southparkstudios.com to learn more about your favorite characters and even play the Timmy Game.

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