Thirty-five years ago, the film Children of a Lesser God was released. The disability representation was flawed, showing a hearing audience that being deaf was tragic, but could be overcome through the charity of a hearing person. The film received strong reviews and won a number of awards.
Despite the glaring flaws in the film, it opened the doors for more disability representation. Perhaps more important than that, it showed filmmakers that the academy loves a story about disability.
This year is no different. With CODA’s win for best picture, the academy continues to make no secret of its affinity for movies about disability.
Read more at: https://theconversation.com/despite-its-oscar-win-coda-is-still-a-film-that-depicts-deafness-as-a-burden-180222