The Brooke Ellision Story Review

This film is  based on the true story of a young girl called Brooke Ellison, who became a quadriplegic after a road accident. She overcame her difficulties to become the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard.

One of the significant issues in the film is that even with all the prejudice that disabled people face from society, there is still a chance for success. Brooke is not alone in her success because there are other disabled people who have had success despite their difficulties, such as Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven was a deaf musician, who still created some beautiful music after going deaf due to music, but it is still relevant today states Hicks (1) . The implications of this are that success for disabled people does happen but it just may take them a little bit longer to achieve the success.

The film highlights the harsh treatment of disabled people throughout history. However it seems that this harsh treatment began before the accident occurred for Brooke. In a recent lecture, Longmore said that the disabled person's rights movement battled for equality in America from the 1930s but it actually became a more prominent issue in the 1970s. The reasons that this may  have occurred were because the Works Progress Adminstration were turning them down for jobs as the Home Relief Bureau of New York City were classifying them as physically handicapped according to the Stanford University website (2) .  The implications are that the issue with prejudice and harsh treatment is a worldwide problem which is slowly but surely changing for the better.

The film portrays disabled people in a positive manner. There are many possible reasons for this but the main reason seems to be the fact that the film was directed by fellow quadriplegic Christopher Reeve. There is evidence to suggest that under his direction, the film is able to capture the harsh realities faced by each family member and not just Brooke. This is proven by the fact that the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has continued its work through Chris's son, Matthew according to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. In addition, the film is a representation of how far we have come since then in regards to legislation, such as the Disability Discrimination Act which was brought in 1995, in order to make discrimination of disabled people illegal in regards to service and provision (3).

In conclusion, the film is an excellent portrayal of the difficulties faced by disabled people and their families. However, it also shows the success people can have if they fight and are determined to succeed.

Sources

The Brooke Ellison Story (2004) [DVD] Directed by Christopher Reeve. NTSC. 

(1) Hicks, M (2012) when Beethoven announced his deafness [online]  www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyDeafness.html  (accessed: 15th January 2013)

(2) Hodkinson, A and Vickerman,P (2009) Key Issues in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. SAGE Publications:London

(3) Stanford university (1991) scholar uncovers hidden history of people with disabilities [online] www.news.stanford.edu/pr/91/910515Arc1373.html  (accessed:15th January 2013)