An Inclusive Neighborhood
Like many families, mine has a holiday tradition of going to the movies around Thanksgiving. This year I’m excited to see the Mr. Rogers biopic, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” The movie is a true story that explores Mr. Rogers developing a friendship with a journalist and how that relationship changed the journalist’s life. If you know me, you wouldn’t be surprised that I read the book first.
In the book, which is called, “I’m Proud of You,” it turns out that cerebral palsy and other disabilities came up several times. As part of charity work, Mr. Rogers invited kids with disabilities onto the set and occasionally had them appear on his show. A friend of mine recently brought to my attention the story of Jeff Erlanger, a 5-year old boy with a spinal tumor that once appeared on his show when he was 10 to talk about his electric wheelchair. In my opinion, Mr. Rogers portrayed what a great relationship between people with disabilities and those who are able-bodied looks like.
Mr. Rogers is appreciated for many reasons, but I think his work on disabilities is undervalued. The simple act to have people with disabilities on a televised show was and still is very rare today, although it’s getting better. On top of that, the way that Mr. Rogers and Jeff Erlanger communicated was heartening and special. That was because Rogers wasn’t afraid to ask basic questions that both people with and without disabilities would like to know the answers. This allowed Erlanger to be the expert of his disability and to be in the position of educating and advocating. And in typical Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fashion, they ended the show by singing a song together.
As another example, Mr. Rogers once received a letter from a mom of a child with cerebral palsy. The letter explained that the kid was angry at life and wasn’t doing well because of that. So, when the two met, Mr. Rogers did something that shocking to them: he asked the kid to pray for him. If you don’t know Mr. Rogers, he was actually an ordained minister. Asking the child to pray wasn’t just to placate him; it also shows once again how Mr. Rogers valued his experiences with people with disabilities. I don’t know if either instance will make it into the movie, but I hope it’s mentioned somehow. Regardless, I’m excited to see the new movie next week with my family members. If I don’t write again soon, I hope you all have a happy holiday season. I’m very thankful for the attention that you give me and my blog.