As a disabled person, I can tell you reader, that the able-body is a wondrous thing. What anybody with physical or mental impairment would give for full-function; to shrug off the shackles we were born with though, I couldn't say. An even more incredible phenomenon is the human spirit. It is an element within us all, regardless of our biological stature. It is a piece of the human fabric uniting us all as one. The heart does not take into account whether a person is ill or different. It does not matter what race or creed a person identifies with, or their sexual preference. The human spirit looks beyond the obstacles disabled individuals face and casts them aside, proving that disability is nothing more than a word. In the run-up to the Academy Awards, amidst the furore of summer blockbusters, film fans often preoccupy themselves with movies deemed the best or most entertaining. With the Oscars only a couple of weeks away, it is forgivable to get caught up in the whirlwind debate present in the cinema forum. Films like 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyers Club expose the atrocities of slavery and FDA shortcomings, while Nebraska and Philomena cast an inquisitive eye at the lives of an older generation. This is not an article deposing their importance, rather an ode to a collection of films bearing equal significance. McQueen's masterpiece is the film on the world's lips, but today we take a step away from the buzz and focus on pictures tackling disability with similar provocation and authority.
