I want to be the representation I didn't see on TV growing up with a disability

This First Person column is written by Dylan Earis, a graduate of the University of Regina's school of journalism. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.

Growing up, I watched a lot of TV. I have a physical disability and unfortunately, I was stuck inside a lot, so TV was one of my companions. 

As I flipped through the channels, I noticed something fairly obvious. Nearly everybody on the screen was standing up. There was nobody who looked like me and sat in a wheelchair.

I already felt marginalized in life and, now that I look back on it, I don't think TV helped me feel any better.

Saskatchewan Weekend11:21Why media representation of people with disabilities matters

Regina journalist Dylan Earis might be in a wheelchair, but don't assume, even for a moment, he's some kind of charity case. As someone with cerebral palsy, Dylan is living his life on his own terms and sparking change along the way. Dylan joins host Shauna Powers to explain why he's committed to to a career in journalism, despite barriers.

My TV could get upwards of 40 channels and I wasn't represented on any of them.

Then I found a light in the darkness. I started watching a show called Malcolm in the Middle, because not only was it funny, but it featured a character with a disability. Malcolm's friend Stevie was in a wheelchair.

I was so excited. Finally, somebody like me was on TV. I had to learn more about Stevie. Did we share the same disability? How did it impact his day-to-day life? Did he feel as marginalized by society as I did?

A quick search of the Internet shattered my world. Craig Lamar Traylor, the actor who played Stevie, did not have a physical disability. The joy I initially got from seeing Stevie on screen turned to disappointment that stuck with me for a long time.

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It wasn't until I started watching Breaking Bad that my view of people with disabilities on TV changed forever.

Before putting on the first episode, I thought I knew what I was getting into. This is a show about a chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with cancer and ends up cooking and selling drugs to support his family. Given the show's dark subject matter, I was not expecting to find something that would have a deep and positive impact on my life.

But the main character's son is a person with a physical disability. And it's not just any disability, it's cerebral palsy.

I have cerebral palsy!

He uses crutches to get around. I use a cane!

Thinking back to Stevie, I feared this was too good to be true. The character looks like he has a disability, but does he? I was worried that I would find out something I didn't like.

After another quick Google search, it turned out my fears were for naught. RJ Mitte, who played the character of Walter White Jr., does have cerebral palsy. 

I couldn't wait to tell everybody I knew.

The sadness I felt when I saw Stevie and learned that he didn't have a disability was replaced with the joy of watching Walt. Jr. on the screen.

WATCH | The actors with disabilities changing representation in Hollywood: 

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Creators and actors with disabilities say the entertainment industry still has a way to go for performers with disabilities. CBC’s Tashauna Reid takes a look at the fight for representation.

It turns out, that joy was soon replaced by the joy I felt by watching somebody else.

Myself.

Standing for representation

It was late afternoon on a Monday. I was in my motorized wheelchair, rolling alongside two of my classmates.

As students at the University of Regina's school of journalism, we had just finished interviewing people for a pretend TV news report on flu shots. We were looking for a place to do our stand-ups, when we settled on a place just outside the flu shot area. 

Once my classmates did their stand-ups, I figured we were done for the day. I turned to go when my classmates asked if I wanted to try one of my own.

I considered this for a short time before saying yes.

WATCH| Disabled man urges people to 'see us as more than caricatures': 

Disabled man urges people to 'see us as more than caricatures'

2 years ago

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John Loeppky says people with disabilities are often talked about or around, rather than being given the stage to speak for themselves.

I rolled in front of the camera. The irony was not lost on me. I was there doing a stand-up, while sitting down.

When I watched the footage of myself, it was the first time I'd seen a person with a disability doing a stand-up for a news piece. It solidified for me a desire to bring to news reporting what RJ Mitte did for entertainment on Breaking Bad. Yes, there have been journalists with disabilities like Tara Weber, who uses a wheelchair, but we don't see nearly enough representation in media when people with disabilites make up nearly 22 per cent of the Canadian population.

I want to be a person with a disability reporting on disabled issues.

I want people with disabilities to look at me the way I looked at RJ Mitte, and not the way I looked at Stevie.

I feel I've already started that journey, but I know there's a long way to go.

I look forward to every step.

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