Critical Review Sam I Am Essay

In the video “Inclusion, belonging, and the disability revolution” (TEDTalks, 2014), speaker Jennie Fenton opens with describing situations where people with disabilities are segregated and excluded from their communities, sent to live together away from society, or even treated as lesser humans. She then proceeds to introduce her family, including her six-year-old daughter that was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Jennie admits to previously having negative or frightened thoughts about having a child with a disability, but with her “seven realizations,” she learned that her daughter was merely on a different path than others, but that no one should ever feel broken or not a whole person (TEDTalks, 2014). After she explains that there are roughly one billion people with a disability throughout the world, Jennie states that she believes in possibility over disability. If a person’s

In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.

There are many stereotypes regarding those with intellectual disabilities. This may be because these individuals range in cognitive ability, receptive and expressive language, and physical need. While it may be assumed that those with disabilities are not able to process the world around them, they are not immune to mental health disorders and the, sometimes tragic, events that take place throughout a lifetime. Someone without an intellectual disability may find solace in a friend, partner, or family member. If the event is impactful enough, they may even turn to a mental health professional that is trained to help those going through a tough time. Unfortunately, individuals with disabilities do not always have that same network of support.

Lost in a Desert World relays the story of the life of Roland Johnson, a man born with an intellectual disability and placed in an institution who eventually went on to be the president of Speaking for Ourselves, a group that encourages those with disabilities to stand up for themselves and their rights. This memoir offers a rare first-person, nonfiction account of the life and experiences of someone with an intellectual disability. Though filled with the harsh realities of the treatment of those with intellectual disabilities, the book is also one of passion, strength, and hope.

society seems to be that disabled people cannot be effective parents. Disability-lawyer Carrie Ann Lucas shared her experiences with USA Today (2012), witnessing “parents with paralysis be threatened with removal of their children, deaf parents punished for using sign language with their hearing children, and blind parents told that a social worker can’t possibly fathom how they could parent a newborn.” Lucas adds that “when families do need intervention, it is often because the services they need are not available outside a punitive social services case.” It is important to note the unfair standards of independence that disabled parents face in the U.S. Research shows that these parents can often prove themselves competent with some support services, but child welfare systems and the general public may question that aid, as they may be seen as a lack of the self-sufficiency valued in U.S. culture. Utilizing multiple systems of support can lead to improved parenting and family cohesion, and so should be viewed as a benefit instead of a deficiency in an individual’s capacity to provide parental care. In fact, according to the 2012 NCD report, disabled parents whose abilities in this area are questioned often confront inappropriate or unfair assessments (Smith,

My first subject is Forrest Gump, in analyzing Forrest we understand how he correlates toward the psychoanalytic theory (p. 35-38). Since Forrest has an IQ of 75, which is reflected as intellectually disabled or formerly called mental retarded. Forrest is incapable of preserving the necessary abilities that require language, comprehension, mathematics, and social communication. Forrest has overcome the actuality that he’s distinguished and classified as intellectually disabled, with the encouragement of his mother, Forrest has developed a sense of self (p. 335-336 & 339-340).

I Am Sam is a touching movie that demonstrates, despite any impairment – anyone is capable of love. Sam Dawson, a forty-year-old man, has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. The movie begins with Sam having a child with a homeless woman, whom abandons him shortly after they leave the hospital. His daughter, Lucy, becomes the love of his life. He raises her alone, with the assistance of a great support system. As she ages, his limitations began to be stunt her educational growth. She begins to hold herself back because she doesn’t want to surpass her father’s educational level. The authorities end up taking Lucy away due to the assumption that Sam isn’t capable of giving her the life she deserves. He then hires a lawyer to manage his case pro bono. The movie is spent with Sam fighting for his rights to his daughter. In the end, love wins and Lucy is back where she belongs, with Sam. He proves to everyone that if you have the capacity to love, you have the ability to fight for it.

You and I live in a world were modernism is reaching new heights every day. One day that touchscreen phone is considered new, and then next week it’s old news. These two stories that I am going to compare are about the role of technology, science and how it affects me and you. Based on how it uses new technology and modern science A Sound of Thunder is a better sci-fiction story.

I chose the movie I am Sam to challenge my own opinion on how people with disabilities should be treated under certain circumstances. I am Sam is a movie about a mentally challenged man, named Sam, striving to raise his daughter, Lucy, alone. Diagnosed with Autism, Sam’s intellectual capacity cannot exceed the age of 7. As we watch Lucy grow up under Sam’s roof, we are able to see the love they have for each other. When Lucy reaches the age of 8, social workers see this as an issue, so they place Lucy in a temporary home while Sam goes to court to try to win Lucy back. Sam’s lawyer, Rita, took this “pro bono” case to impress her coworkers. At first, Rita doesn’t believe Sam is capable of raising Lucy along with the social workers who

The disability that was presented in the movie was a head band that controlled how smart you were. The head band sends frequencies to the brain in order to rewire it making that person, not to intelligent or unintelligent, but average. The disability was created so people would not get jealous of someone else’s ability. The government used these head bands to control

‘Normal’ what does that mean? For many, this means fitting into the group and being the same as everyone else. In most groups ‘normal’, means having both legs and arms, being able to hear and see, not needing help in everyday tasks, like going to the washroom or getting dressed, drinking and eating. For people with disability, ‘normal’ is different, and changes from day to day depending on the tasks or how they are feeling that day, some need extra help, while others have learned to accomplish tasks by themselves. Through Jim Ferris’s poem “Normal” and Adam Pottles “Hearing Test” a different point of view is given for what is considered ‘normal’. “Normal” uses a simple baseball game to show how disability is affecting a child’s life, while

I am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, starring Sean Penn as Sam who has an intellectual disability that had sole care for his daughter Lucy Diamond played by Dakota Fanning. The two of them encounter problems with the Department of Child and Family Services as they believe the presence of Sam’s intellectual disability negates his ability to parent. A lawyer Rita Harrison played by Michelle Pfeiffer plays an important role in this film as she is the only one to have belief in Sam’s ability to parent. This M rated film has won awards such as the Stanley Kramer award for their ability to place an emphasis on social concerns. People with disabilities are often discriminated against the rest of society as a result of their impairments. Jessie Nelson’s use of mis-en-scene and semiotic elements engage the members of the audience to position them to have their own perspective of Sam’s situation as presented.

Matthew Poncelet, and he is played by Sean Penn. The film is set in the

Although not a thematic stereotype reinforced throughout this whole film, it is typical of a disabled character to be represented as a victim or object of violence (Safran, 2000). At the climax of the film, Gilbert’s overwhelming frustration and anger of his life situation overflows into a violent episode directed at Arnie. On occasions throughout the film, Arnie is portrayed as an innocent a victim or object of violence from his

With Disabilities Education Act." Focus On Exceptional Children43.2 (2010): 1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.