Meet Smart Girl Keah Brown: Brilliant Writer and Disability Activist
Stop for a second and think about how much you love romantic comedies. And the characters in the last delicious novel you read. Can you relate to these people or characters? Do they look like you, do they embody similar physical features and attributes, or do you not even think about it because you take it for granted? To get a better handle on why this is an issue about inclusivity and how it should be addressed, we sat down with Smart Girl and disability activist Keah Brown. Known for her insightful, whip smart personal essays on this topic for places like Lenny Letter, ESPN, and The Toast, we discussed her role concerning diversity and disability awareness.
Smart Girls: Would you say cerebral palsy is a misunderstood disability? Is there something about cerebral palsy that you want people to know that you think they don’t?
Keah Brown: Oh absolutely. I think there’s this narrative that all people with cerebral palsy have only one type… and that’s people who are in wheelchairs. It comes in various forms, like I can walk unassisted. I think a lot of times you see people with cerebral palsy in wheelchairs, so there’s this conception that it’s only one way which is people who are nonverbal, immobile. But that’s not all of us. That’s my biggest thing when it comes to representation, there’s always a narrative that it’s people who can’t speak or be mobile and they should be pitied because of it. There should be a way to tell their stories and others… without it being based around their caretakers or focused on the notion they should be pitied.
SG: How do you tend to see cerebral palsy and other disabilities portrayed in entertainment and media?
KB: Quite poorly actually. There’s this tendency to showcase all these disabilities as a white guy in a wheelchair. That’s not anywhere near what all disability is, there’s not enough representation of people of color with disabilities period. And then when they do cast [for these parts] these actors often aren’t disabled. It feels a bit like they’re putting disability on like a costume that they can take off when they leave the set, but we can’t do that. So for one I don’t see anyone who looks like myself and two, disability is represented as this static monolith. Disability is treated as a performance rather than a lived experience which frustrates me a lot.
SG: What would you like to see happening in film and television to make it more inclusive of disability awareness?
KB: I would like to see more women of color with disabilities, specifically more black women. I feel like I’ve never seen something starring a black disabled woman. I think what would make me happy is to see disabled actors receive more work. You get people in these roles, but there’s actually people who live these lives every day. I’d also like to see a wider array of disabilities portrayed.
SG: What’s your ultimate dream for a disability portrayal?
KB: I would just enjoy someone who looks like me in mainstream media who is properly represented and not as a charity case to feel bad for. I don’t want to see disability as this thing always to be pitied because it’s something that I live with every day. So they’re saying I should feel sorry for myself every single day? What I hope for is that disability stops being seen as this thing to pity or hate, or an unfortunate accident where people come into disability. Those stories are valid as well, but they’re constantly shown as “oh my God my life is over.” And no, you can still live a good life being disabled. It’s not a death sentence. That’s why the film Me Before You was such a slap in the face, it treats disability as something to be hated and you should want to die. No that’s not it for all of us, but that’s the story that ends up leading the public’s perception of how everybody must feel.
SG: Do you feel there are some people or places that are trying to be inclusive in their efforts?
KB: There’s a movie on Netflix called The Fundamentals of Caring… I felt like they got the story of disability right more than most. They treated [the person in a wheelchair] like a human being, I didn’t feel like it was exploitative.
SG: What advice would you give 12 year old Keah?
KB: Ohmigosh! I love 12 year old Keah! She was a mess! I would tell her that one day she is going to look in on her life and think “Holy crap, I can’t believe we’re doing this” and one day she’s gonna stop and say “Hey, you’re good at something,” this is gonna be the thing you’re meant to do and you’re gonna do it well. Even on the days you feel no one understands you and you shouldn’t be here, later on in life you’re gonna find your purpose and it’s gonna be beautiful.
Follow Keah on Twitter to say hi and keep up with all her wonderful writing and activism!
