"ER" on NBC finishes its 15-year run tonight, and through the years, it was a show that incorporated a number of disability topics and disabled characters. It wasn't always perfect, but it now holds the distinction of having one of the longest running disabled characters on TV, Laura Innes' Kerry Weaver, who used a crutch. (In the picture, during the first episode of Season 7, Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) does battle during a riot in the ER involving a high school football team.)The handling of the Weaver character was notable for what it didn't do -- have her life revolve around her disability. She was just another ER doctor, who happened to use a crutch, and it was rarely mentioned. Kind of like real life, where I would hope people in a workplace don't focus on a co-worker's disability.
Other compelling disability moments were:
- A guest spot by Neil Marcus, an actor with CP. You can watch Marcus' guest spot on YouTube.
- When Dr. Ray Barnett (played by Shane West) becomes a double leg amputee
- When Dr. Peter Benton found out his son was deaf, which became an ongoing storyline while the Benton character was on ER. A California mother said in the Contra Costa Times that storyline meant a lot to her: "'ER' often hit close to home. Cheryl Cohen of Pleasanton appreciated the plot in which Dr. Benton (Eriq LaSalle) faced the challenges of raising a deaf child. 'We've been there, done that,' says Cohen, who has a deaf daughter. 'I was amazed at how they creatively touched on all the valid points -- especially the shock of learning that your child is not the same as you.'
- And many other storylines dealt with intellectual disabilities, HIV/AIDS, strokes, blindness, Alzheimer's, substance abuse or psychiatric disabilities. The Dr. Abby Lockhart character (played by Maura Tierney) spent a season coping with her mother (played by Sally Field), who had bipolar disorder. About.com's discussion of the portrayal reported that it was a more realistic TV representation of bipolar disorder than usual.
I have been a longtime fan of "ER" and have stuck with it through numerous cast changes, which never seemed to hurt the quality of the show. Some of the episodes were so compelling that I can still remember where I was when I saw them. So even with its flaws, I think "ER" did more good for disability representation on TV than bad.
You can watch a photo slideshow of "ER" through the years here or see NBC's "ER Remembered" Web page here.
Finally, here's what one of the show's creators had to say about "ER's" disability themes. The article originally appeared in The Disability Messenger and was reprinted on the Web site of the Independent Living Institute in Sweden. The article is by by Zara Buggs Taylor, who was the executive administrator for employment diversity at the Writers Guild of America, west, an entertainment labor union representing writers for the film, television, cable and broadcast industries, and who died in 2005.People with disabilities are often invisible in movies and television shows, or, if visible, depicted in demeaning and stereotypical ways: as powerless, child-like, isolated victims, as bitter, sometimes psychopathic misfits, or as the "super-crip," who overcomes a disability with some extraordinary ability.
Moreover, storylines featuring people with disabilities inevitably resolve with a "cure" rendering the character "whole."
One trend-setting television show changing audience perceptions about people with disabilities is NBC's "ER." In a recent storyline, one of the lead characters, played by Eriq La Salle, is a doctor who has a young Deaf son. The production company conducted an extensive search to find an African-American baby who was Deaf.
This is just one of many examples of the inclusion of disabilities into the fabric of the show:
-- Authority figure Dr. Kerry Weaver wears a leg brace;
-- A character played by Neil Marcus has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair;
-- One episode featuring Deaf characters dealt with the cochlear implant issue, contrasting political and medical points of view; and
-- Characters with cognitive disabilities are regularly cast.
The Disability Messenger (Zara Buggs Taylor) spoke with creator and executive producer John Wells.
ZBT: What got you interested in including characters with disabilities?
JW: In "ER" we have tried generally to portray what America really looks like, and what hospitals really look like, racially and in other ways. Our shows are based on the general notion that society is diverse.
ZBT: Do you often base your characters on real people?
JW: The Laura Innes character [Dr. Kerry Weaver] was conceived when I met one of the attendings at a local hospital who was East Indian or Pakistani and who had had polio and used crutches. He worked 12-hour shifts, and his disability didn't interfere with his job. We try to include people on "ER" that you regularly meet in everyday life with honesty, integrity and realism.
ZBT: Very often your characters are just people who happen to have disabilities. The story does not necessarily focus on the disability. Was that a conscious choice?
JW: The way we tell stories on "ER" differs from the older, traditional medical shows of the past when people came in with specific medical problems. This approach made them seem like "the other," who the viewer is happy not to be.
We consciously chose to integrate the show in every way. Dr. Weaver, for instance, is a complicated character - not particularly lovable. Through the storytelling, we know about her strength and her abilities without telling the audience outright that those strengths were shaped by her disability.
She doesn't discuss her disability - not because she is ashamed of who she is but because it is such a part of who she is that it doesn't come up. Her attitude is "This is me, if you're curious or don't like it or are made uncomfortable by it, tough."
Frankly, I forget she has a disability. That's how it should be. We need to stop judging people by outward appearances and decide how we feel about them based on who they are - not their skin color or social status or physical appearance.
I'm glad the show is making a positive difference in the attitudes and perceptions of the viewing audience about people with disabilities.