Reaction to the Documentary Series “Renegades” from American Masters on PBS

Disabled people are rarely accurately represented in media and this has led to many misconceptions about people with disabilities. As someone who is visually impaired one of the reasons I started this blog was to bring attention to the fact that people with disabilities are just like everyone else and they make valuable contributions to society.

The documentary series “Renegades” from American Masters on PBS shines a spotlight on five people with disabilities through five short films and shows how each individual is a valuable part of society.

Before I share my thoughts on each short documentary I want to thank the producers for making it fully accessible by including audio description, sign language and captions.

“Thomas Wiggins: Composing the Future”

Thomas Wiggins lived during the 1800s, he was born blind and was possibly autistic. The first thing that caught my attention was that he was immediately disregarded just because he was blind and sadly he became a slave.

I had not heard of him or his compositions until I watched this documentary. He was definitely very talented but was sadly held back. I am glad that people today can see the contributions he made even though he never received the recognition while alive.

Unfortunately today people with disabilities are still held back by the misconceptions that society has so I hope that this shows that people with disabilities can contribute to the music scene. We should learn from history and stop repeating the same mistakes.

“Brad Lomax: Creating Communities of Care”

Brad Lomax was born in 1950. He was diagnosed with MS in his teenage years. He did not let this slow him down. He dedicated his life to fighting for disability rights especially for people of color. He opened a center for independent living to address the need faced by people of color. He joined the Black Panthers party and continued to fight for social change and justice. one large event that he and the Black Panthers supported was the 504 sit-in that took place in 1977, a 26 day protest by people with disabilities. Disabled people occupied federal buildings as they asked for public places to be made accessible. Lomax joined the protest in San Fransisco.

These protests eventually gained attention from government officials and the protests played a large part in laws passed later on such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to learn about Brad Lomax and his valuable contributions. I think accounts like this should be included in history books. It encourages me to see how he did not let his struggles stop him and he cared for others first.

“Celestine Tate Harrington: Building a Legacy”

Celestine Tate Harrington was born in the mid 1950s with a disease that left her without the use of her arms and legs but she did not let this stop her. She battled to protect her right to motherhood as a disabled woman.

She was told by child protective services that she was not fit to be a parent because of her disability and they took away her daughter. She proved everyone wrong in court when she independently dressed her baby with her mouth in front of the judge.She won her case and was able to leave with her daughter. This caught my attention because this is still a problem faced by people with disabilities today. I am thankful that her story is recorded and she proves that people with disabilities are able to care for their children.

Her determination really encouraged me and it is interesting how she adapted and did so much with just her mouth. This shows me to not give up no matter what I face and I should enjoy each day the way she did.

“Daniel K. Inouye: Life of Service”

Daniel K. Inouye was born in 1924. He became disabled while serving in the military during World War II. He lost one of his arms but he did not let this stop him. He became a United States Senator and he used his power to support civil rights and rights for people with disabilities.

I think it is important to see people with disabilities in various roles including in the government. I am thankful that he used his influence for good.

“Judy-Lynn del Rey: The Galaxy Gal”

Judy-Lynn del Rey was born in 1943. She was born with dwarfism. She was an excellent writer and really helped to expand the science fiction book category.

One thing that caught my attention was how those part of the science fiction community are so inclusive. I think it is important that this is still true today as any extra support helps. People with disabilities are just like everyone else and it is helpful to find a safe place to just be unique.

Some extra thoughts

I hope that you have learned from these historical accounts of people with disabilities who made valuable contributions to society. I thank everyone who played a role in producing this documentary series. You may also want to read my reaction to the documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” you can read it here.

What are your thoughts on these accounts? Leave your comments below.

Thank you for reading this post.