People Living With Disabilities Review Characters With Disabilities 

“I am not to be pitied, I am here and I am hard to kill” dang that’s a good line

I hate how wheelchairs are portrayed as a trap. For lots of us they are our freedom. They are what give us the ability to go out into the world. Of course I wish I could walk without pain but just a few weeks ago I got a new electric wheelchair and I was so ecstatic. My wheelchair is my lifeline. It is not a trap it's what gives me a reason to live.

they didnt include how when artie hated himself for being in the wheelchair, and then wished he wasnt, but then he saw how different life would be if he wasnt, and he does reach self acceptance and loves his chair

Arnie from “Whats Eating Gilbert Grape” was brilliantly done by DiCaprio. He represented a child who has a bad family and not just a disability. DiCaprio’s performance made me cry, it was real and it was genuine.

"Yaaay you're diffrent" Lmao i love that dude

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), was casted as a giant in Avengers: Infinty War. And it was probably my favorite part just because of that. So awesome

They commented on the fact that Leonardo Dicaprio shouldn’t have played that character because he portrayed it wrong (even though he ‘studied’ people with the disability) but didn’t comment on the fact that the actor from Wonder didn’t have that disability either. They only called Leonardo out which I think is unfair since he did such an amazing job

What’s eating Gilbert grape is such a beautiful well done movie, I have a sister who is mentally disabled and I take no offence to Leo’s character what so ever. I truly believe Leo deserves an oscar for it, he really researched he spent time with people with disabilities, he made sure he got it right. If you’re offended by his role then you might as well me offended by Forrest Gump.

I'm not sure if everyone agrees, but I wish they'd have put an autistic person. We rarely get representation, and when we do get it, it's not usually very good. Shaun from The Good Doctor is probably the best portrayal we have, but even that isn't always totally correct. We're usually either portrayed as oblivious, arrogant jerks, or nonverbal young white boys who know everything about trains.

Honestly, Tyrion Lannister is someone everyone can relate to; whether it is a physical disability or a mental disability or a disability that is invisible. Anyone who has been scrutinized because of something that is not seen as "normal" is seen as a curse in the eyes of society. I have an invisible illness. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and POTS and I often keep my disability to myself because people often label me as fine when I am not. Tyrion is that voice for all suffering from being judged because they are different and are not normal in the eyes of the public.

Guy: "Yaaaaay you're different..." 😂😂😂

One time I was with somebody and they said “Bucky Barnes has a disability?” He literally doesn’t have an arm.

I was born with spina bifida and my parents were told I wouldn't live to be a year old and I will be 45 years old this year.

I want to see "invisible disabilities" talked about. I was diagnosed with bipolar, depression, and ODD when I was 10. Now I have anxiety disorders, PTSD, and a few others added into the mix. I feel like I don't have a voice at times because people don't see what I'm going through or understand and just call me over-emotional. We have a voice too and it should be talked about more.

I think another well representing disabled character is Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I know it’s animated, but the fact that her disability is not the focus of her character while also still being a big part of it (again - without being the only character trait she has) seemed amazing to me

There are disability with short life spans though. Or maybe according to movie of Gilbert Grape, the time it is, the atmosphere (low-income family), they could not reach better doctor on consulting. I just think the movie and the character Leo played sent very good messages to my heart. Also the disable character in that movie also includes their mother.

“I’m here... and I’m hard to kill” iconic omg 😂

As someone who studies neuropsychology I think Leonardo Dicaprio's character wasn't that bad. Having a disability doesn't suddenly gives you knowledge on all the syndromes in the world

As someone who is in wheelchair, I watched Glee for the sole purpose of seeing Artie, because before then, I never saw a character in a wheelchair that was part of the main cast (besides Jimmy from Degrassi). I actually liked what they did with his character for the most part. They gave him more than a handicap story line, and gave him a personality. I personally ended up not liking Artie as a character because of his personality, but I think that's great that they didn't make him overly sympathetic or anything. My main issue with TV shows and Movies with people with disabilities is that for the most part, if a character gets paralyzed, they miraculously end up walking within a few episodes. They recently did it on NCIS-Los Angeles and Arrow. Jimmy on Degrassi ended up being able to start to walk too, but at least it showed him gradually getting his feeling back (which took a few seasons) and going to physical therapy.

The Artie scene was so out of context. Artie would dance in his wheelchair all the time and Glee had multiple episodes about him accepting his disability and teaching others to understand, respect and accept his disability. Glee also layer cast another character briefly who really was in a wheelchair.

this video made my day. it’s so nice seeing people reviewing characters like how they are in their daily lives! well done buzzfeed!

Becky was fantastic in Glee, she was hilarious. "get me some chocolate or i'll cut you!"

for the glee episode where Artie could walk- I feel like you needed a lot more context and how he feels at the end of the episode

So, they neglected all the episodes where Artie does dance in his chair, and has story lines unrelated to his disability?

I don't understand their not wanting DiCaprio to play Arnie in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape.' The whole point of the character is that he is a child who is not easily managed and he doesn't have the familial help to adequately assess his disability. If they typecasted a child who--like Arnie--was difficult to work with, then the movie would never get done. I understand the annoyance with the plot line or dynamic, but Leo is a great actor, who simply played the role who was given the best way he could. And it was done brilliantly.

Where is speechless? I'm surprised it wasn't on this list. They actually have someone who is disabled for the actor and he's the main the character.

As a disabled person, thank you so much for this. People always forget or ignore us. If we're having a bad day, we're pitied and told "I could never be disabled like you". If we're having a good day, we're inspiration porn and ablebodied people tell us how lovely it is to see us at the supermarket or how proud they are of us for...something? I just want to see people like me and I want other people to see young disabled people in media so they stop coming up to me and asking me what's wrong or talking to whoever I'm with instead to me (I'm not deaf, I just don't walk good!!!). Growing up, I never had any kind of representation of disabled people, beyond a few token examples, almost all of whom were in wheelchairs. And then as I became disabled myself, I had to deal with all of these thoughts and ideas in my head about disability because all the media showed me were people in wheelchairs (I use a walking stick), people with mental disabled, people who were deaf or blind, people who didn't dress fashionably and needed constant care. And there were basically no role models for me to look up to. There still basically no famous people who use a walking stick that aren't elderly. I just want to see myself. I want to go to the cinema and see someone like me, played by someone like me. I want there to be a role model for younger people who are growing up disabled. I want someone who is successful AND disabled, not "in spite of". So thank you for amplifying the voice of the disabled community. It would be cool to see more disabled content from Buzzfeed. It might even make me subscribe!

I’m autistic and I get that people want actual autistics to play these characters but I’ve done background acting in commercials for fun and the lights are BRIGHT AF and it can be noisy and chaotic and doing the same scene 40-60+ times. Now imagine that’s a TV series or a movie. The same thing almost every day for hours and hours and hours. Imagine the sensory overloads and meltdowns.

artie and the whole glee club does dance in his chair and they had a whole dance routine in wheelchairs???? i understand the wanting to dance dream is a but cliche but high schoolers dreams ARE cliche... especially the glee kids wanting to be dancers and on broadway??? i mean i definitely get what they were saying but you cant judge the entire character from one little dream dance sequence

I think they were a little hard on the Arnie character. He wasn't representing a physically disabled person, he was mentally disabled. Completely different

Tbh i know people with developmental disabilities no matter what age they are who act like leo from gilbert grape. The people in this video mostly have physical disabilities. This video was a good idea but they did need at least one person with developmental disability

I watched a video about how Leonardo DiCaprio studied and learned from kids with disabilities in order to represent them accurately. I don’t have a disability but I don’t think it’s offensive to play a role also Leonardo DiCaprio is a fantastic actor who was nominated for an Oscar for that role , that must have brought so much awareness.

Can we please stop making them watch scenes without context? The reason Artie is dreaming about dancing and is sad when the dream isn’t real is because the entire episode is dedicated to his dream of being a dancer being shattered when he was paralyzed in a car accident.

So glad they didn't bring up casting an actor with a disability for Wonder. Had they actually cast a child with Auggies condition it would risk the child's well-being, they kind of had to use make up and I HATE when people act like casting someone with a disability ALWAYS has to be the case, sometimes it's too dangerous to Do, y'know?

"you can dance in a wheelchair" to be fair he actually does that a lot tho, but I see their point

This is going to sound vitriolic, but a few disabled people cannot speak for all disabled peoples. You don’t have to think a certain way because you have a disability, nor do you know all things about disability because you have one. There are so many different ways to be disabled, mentally and physically.

Yo!! That's my boy Christopher who I went to grammar school with. Haven't seen him in forever. Looking good my man. Hope you, Bobby and AJ are doing well bud.

I love when directors cast disabled actors but I understand it when they don’t because it is tough and there are health things to work around. The important thing is to just portray the disability as authentically as possible.

okay but artie literally does go through an arc of self acceptance tho lol they just wanted to take advantage of kevin's dance abilities for one scene

i have an invisible disability and i’m not going to lie, i feel like they might be being a little sensitive when it comes to this. i have had my fair share of times where yes someone had outright offended me but other times even when actors without disabilities portray a disabled character i have loved it. for example when eddie redmayne played steven hawkings... it was such a moving and beautiful performance. he didn’t have the disability but he did his research and respected it and did such a great job. actors without disabilities can portray characters with disabilities it’s just how they go about it and how well it is executed

I think everyone views their disability differently. Some don't even want to be labelled 'disabled' while some brace the word for what it is( they accept that they cannot do certain things and it's okay). And, you may disagree here but some do thrive on the pity they receive while some can't stand the patronising attitude of people. Some can easily joke about their disability and some are really sensitive. I don't think there is a right way, per se, media can approach disability. Each person's experiences are different, perspective is different. In my personal experience, my uncle had his leg amputated much later in his life and he accepts his disability. He accepts there are certain things he can no longer physically do. However, he still lives normally, just minus the leg. I don't know how to conclude this now. So bye x

As far as animation... South Park, for all its offensiveness and mocking nature, has a few disabled characters that are pretty well done. Jimmy has a speech impediment and uses crutches and moves very slowly, and his superhero alter-ego is Fastpass (basically The Flash). Timmy is wheelchair bound and has a limited vocabulary, and his superhero persona is Professor Timmy (Professor X essentially) and he can teleport and speak telepathically (with a british accent lol). They're both really popular (on the show and with viewers) and are treated like all the other characters.

You need to watch more of Glee to really appreciate Artie's character development, he more than comes to terms with his disability, and keep in mind that he wasn't born with it, so I always thought it was more than justified that he dreamt of dancing, but he does get better

Game of Thrones is great when it comes to representing disabled characters! Not only Tyrion but also Bran, Hodor and Doran Martell. Another show that shows great representation is Black Sails. It has a character that loses a leg, and it shows him trying to accept it and learn to live with it, and even how to take advantage of it. He becomes a great swordsman who uses his crutches to his advantage. It just shows incredible character development! From him refusing to accept it and continuously wearing a prosthetic leg even though it damages him because he didn't want to appear weak, to him fighting and killing people on crutches. I don't know what it's like to have a disability since I don't have one, but this felt like a great character! It's my favorite show of all time, I love Game of Thrones but I love Black Sails even more!

the best ive seen tourettes portrayed is on south park loved that it showed that the cussing or saying inappropriate stuff isnt actually fun like some people think it would be

Also with the They said he wouldn't live to be four. At birth, there are many misconceptions on a child disabilities. They said my brother wouldn't probably never walk. They said I'd have really bad learning difficulties. I'm top set for every subject except for P.E. My brother is learning to walk.

There is a section in our yearbook that says "Exceptional Students" that only have people with physical disabilities in it. And I'm not sure how to feel about it. I think its a good thing that they are being represented, but I also think you shouldn't identify someone just for their disability.

I love how they didn't show Artie gaining self-love for himself.

Love how you guys are spreading disability awareness. Hope you guys can make a video on invisible disabilites as well- not all disabilities are visible.

This is quality content. Not quantity content. Thanks BuzzFeed!

I love this! Every time someone tells me how inspired they feel by my simply existing and going about my life I want to scream.

This was really educating! Its very hard to put yourself in someoneelses shoes until someone at least have explained their pov and their story! So thank you for sharing, this is a great way to raise awareness and understanding for the disabled.

Christopher sounds sassy af. I like him.

The Artie thing is kinda unfair. He was more than someone who dreamed about dancing without the wheelchair. And I might be wrong, but I think the actor was chosen for the role because the show needed a teenage-looking actor/singer/dancer/guitar player, and can be hard to find someone who can do all that properly (and I'm not saying disabled people can't, I'm just saying it would be harder than just picking this one guy and putting him on a wheelchair). Peace

I love how the director and producers made "Wonder"! Not only did you get to see Auggie's side of the story & the others involved in his life, but you also got a chance to take a look at what their motives were for choosing how to act the way they did! 😊👍

This is really helpful story-making material. Thank you so much!!

i know it might be disrespectful movie but leo does incredible acting at gilbert grape

THIS is the content Buzzfeed needs to start putting out..

Maybe if you watched glee you would know that Artie did go through a journey of self acceptance and his dance scene was his fantasy of what life would be like but then he does learn to like himself for who he is

I wish BuzzFeed would do more disability videos

artie from glee got into a car accident. obviously he's upset about being disabled.

they shouldve used the scene from Glee where he saw what would happen if he hadnt had his disability. Probably wouldve done better...dont try to make him look bad Buzzfeed ;)

Artie’s story arc becomes him learning to love himself later

Vids like this is why I keeping coming back. I enjoyed hearing their take. Well done.

"You can dance in a wheelchair" Yeah but not like that. Come on lady, don't be dense

What about Reggie in Call The Midwife? Those episodes get me in tears every time. He's such a great character!

Thank you buzzfeed! This made a lot of people happy including myself. One of your best videos. As a person with disabilities this makes me smile and helped me get through school today.

I am so glad this is a thing!! I would love to see a part 2! They didn't talk about Atypical, Speechless, or any of Jamie Brewer's characters on American Horror Story! I love this!

This is such a good video. I actually never thought about some of these things in the same way and I totally understand now

Awww I wish they would've mentioned Switched at Birth!

As someone living with MS, this was a lovely video to see! Even if the illness is invisible, you never know how the other side feels. Good content, buzzfeed.

This is exactly why I became a writer and story coach. Because storytellers have a responsibility to create safe spaces for ALL people to explore themselves and the world without feeling excluded or judged. Because everyone should be able to see characters similar to them represented. That's the gorgeous thing about the world, right? That every single person is different and adds something wonderful and unique? xx

Yes! Call out producers for this BS! Disabled actors want and need jobs just as much as any other actor! Disabled people are part of the population and are rarely used to show the real community in shows.

I wish they would’ve looks at Claire Danes as Temple Grandin

Yeah I agree with what they were saying about Wonder. I have a sister with SMA and we are so close that it's almost like we are the same person. I know what she's thinking and feeling in a certain situation, so I know that she is uncomfortable when she's being given attention because of her disability. So when we watched that movie, I kinda got uncomfortable when he got that award because I kinda felt like they were giving it to him because they felt bad for him. People give my sister gifts all the time and I can feel how uncomfortable she is because she knows why they are giving it to her. She wants to be seen as a person, not a person with a disability. She wants people to remember her because of her personality, not the huge wheelchair she's sitting in. I feel all kinds of secondhand embarassment when people do things for her because they feel bad for her.

This is a video worth watching! Not something I often see from Buzzfeed. Well done this time & thanks participants for bringing wisdom and light to a topic I didn't have a lot of information on

I appreciate some of what was said in this video, but the sentiment overall was 'we only like disabled characters who are played by disabled actors' - which is a fair point but it's not the same thing as reviewing the characters themselves. For example, the woman said that we're supposed to feel sorry for DiCaprio's family in Gilbert grape, but it's exactly the same in Breaking Bad. Initially, the reason why they introduced Walt Jr is to further illustrate how Walt has been screwed over in life - Walt Jr is a plot device in the same way that Arnie is in Gilbert Grape.

Dude how did u not have them react to Forest Gump or freaking Ben Stiller going "full" in tropic thunder?

Great work with the production of this video. For a moment I forgot I was watching a BuzzFeed Video, because it wasn't rush or cheesy for the sake of viral video.

I really loved this video. Well done buzzfeed!!

Sometimes people think talking to a differently abled person or asking them questions about their life will make them feel awkward..but I have noticed they have so much to say and they are just normal people and because people don't listen to their stories as much they have many misconceptions about this community

Christopher is amazing on roast battle. Surprising to see him here!

As somebody with an "invisible" disability, I hope to see the media portray that sometime soon, and really wonder how they'll approach it. It's hard to imagine TV/film approaching disabilities like mine outside of hospital dramas...

This was very good! Thank you!

As a below-the-knee amputee I found this to be really well put together and relatable. Thank you for putting this together!

Am I incorrect that they only seemed to have a panel of people with physical disabilities? I may have missed someone/don't know everyone's exact disabilities (nor is it my business), but it just doesn't seem inclusive to not include people living with cognitive disabilities on the panel especially since some of the clips featured those types of disabilities. Still enjoyed the video regardless.

I was in a car wreck and spent 3 months in a wheelchair and 2 years in physical therapy to be able to walk again. I had dreams all the time of running, riding bike and horses. I think the character in a wheelchair dreaming about dancing was accurate. It was depressing to wake up and still be dealing with my limitations. My dreams continued for several years.

I loveeeeee this! Its refreshing to hear such insight, thank God for the internet because this can definitely be addressed all over the world! We want to see more of this!

For wonder: the book is far better.

So good...but you missed so many great actors!! What about Gaten Matarazzo from Stranger Things or Meredith Eaton from McGyver?! Both of these shows are wonderful and portray the actors like they can do anything! ! I mean come on, Maddie (McGyver) is the head of an organization!!

This is the video I have been waiting for.

they really should have given more clips for Artie. He does reach the point of loving himself for him, but it takes a realistically long time to reach that. The fact is, he loved dancing when he was able to walk, and when that was taken away, yea, he could still dance with his upper half, but he couldn't be as expressive. it took a large part of the series for him to get to the point where he could accept his own reality. He was a beautiful, complex character, and the way Glee handled his and other character's disabilities was awesome.

“I’m here and I’m hard to kill” I’m getting that tattooed on me

I think the What's Eating Gilbert Grape critique was a little over the line. Yea, it's easy to say now what should and should not be now, but I'm not sure that it's right either. Did they totally forget about the obese mother? Di Caprio did an AMAZING job on that character and really showed his acting talents. It gave him the opportunity to show his talent as well as Darlene Cates did. The most memorable moment for me was when she went to the jailhouse (watch it). And why wasn't SPEECHLESS included?!?! :(

As a person with a disability that is both invisible and very badly represented if represented at all this made me happy. Even if my experience differs from the characters and people in the video, it’s still great seeing things like this.

I'm inspired by this video, great job Buzzfeed!

I wish Ivar from Vikings would have been in this.

I thought the same thing about Auggie getting the award! I thought it should have been Jack Will or someone, and it sounds awful but I feel like Auggie was supported not a supporter.

There are two categories that people are placed in with disabilities. I have a mental disability and I know many people that have physically disabilities. I look at my disability as something that makes me think different and be that one person in a group that thinks outside of the box. One thing that is super underrated is actors that don’t say what they have to help support people like me out there. I had to do research on my disability just to come and find out the smartest people in the world had the same thing as me. FYI I have dyslexia. It’s something that is passed through genetics that will never ever go away and I’m glad it won’t I love being the way I am.

In Wonder, they didn't give August an award in the book for precisely the reason the people reacting in the movie said. It's weird that they changed that in the movie.