I have been watching (and loving) these types of stories since I was a freshman in
high school. While this alone obviously does not make me an expert or give me
any real authority on the subject, I like to think I have a firm grasp of the
tropes commonly employed in these medias. Beyond that, I also know which
characters and respective media would be appropriate to utilize in the classroom. Within this topic, there also
appears to be a lack of research. If that indeed turns out to
be the case, this may be a unique opportunity to delve into this premise and develop a unique lesson for my students. Overall,
the main aspect I want to know about the topic is why is there such an under-representation
of characters portrayed with disabilities, as well as the way in which these
characters are portrayed. All of this will likely reveal the displacement of
real people with disabilities within the mainstream culture.
There is, of course,
lots of information I don’t know. It remains a necessity to further investigate
Japanese (and our) culture and learn more about their perspectives on disabilities. With this
knowledge, the connection between reality and the views displayed in their
animated medias will become clearer. This will be my main priority before
delving further into other perspective findings. Also, while doing a
preliminary search for research, there are some shows I am unfamiliar with.
This will require me to learn more about these if I wish to present them
appropriately as a point of relevance. In addition, I will have to search more titles
to see if there are other appropriate
pieces to use for this lesson. There also will probably be some key
vocabulary I will have to further investigate and define for myself and the students. A final aspect I’d like to know about is whether inclusion has
increased in the years or not in these medias.
The point of this lesson plan is to get them excited about reading and perhaps help them find literature/media that will interest them. Through this discovery they may come to better understand themselves and their potential in the world around them. In the end, though, the most important thing is that my students get to read about a character who is relatable to them and/or their classmates.
Resources
While I do agree with you that there is a lack of characters with disabilities represented in visual media, I do believe that what is available is a great resource for students. I can imagine students watching anime or reading manga and relating to those characters. It is just another tool we as educators have to help our students.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent topic with a unique lens. I look forward to learning more from you about this. Also, you have include excellent images to further illustrate your inquiry topic.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about what you find! I was just watching a TED talk by a comedian, Maysoon Zayid, talking about representation and people with disabilities in mainstream media. It's kinda nuts that able-bodied people get cast in roles portraying ppl w disabilities, over actors w those actual disabilities who are desperately looking for work..
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