Just Keep Swimming

So, you all know that I love Disney movies- it's not exactly an unknown fact about me. And today I wanted to write about something that I’m sure a lot of you have at least heard of, or most probably seen. Something very near and dear to my heart, which I absolutely, completely adore.Or should I saw, Adory…Yeah, okay. That was terrible. But I didn't know how else I should segway onto what this blog is about- Finding Dory!

So by the time I've written this, a lot of you will already know a lot about this movie, the sequel to the Disney favourite, ‘Finding Nemo’, that follows the adventures of a Blue Tang fish named 'Dory' going off on insane, wild adventures in a quest to find her parents.She's met with some funny new friends, insane adventures and some difficult obstacles.Sounds like a pretty decent ‘been there, done that’ sort of a plotline, right? A movie that sounds cute, could probably go and waste a couple of hours going to see it...However, there’s one thing that makes this movie stand out to me above any other…The main character has a disability. And that’s something that I absolutely love about this movie. That’s one of the reasons why I was lining up in the cinema, completely decked out in my ‘Dory disneybound’, surrounded by children that came up to my hip, but sharing equal (if not more) excitement with them.I was so, so excited to see a movie that showcased a main character with a disability.A main character of a Disney movie, at that!People with different abilities don’t often see reflections of themselves in popular culture, and the couple of times that we have seen it, it’s done in a really stereotypical way which honestly, makes me feel pretty bad about myself.The character is usually played up to the extremes, and only shows those really hard-core, negative sides of disabilities. Meaning the character is close to never being shown as a positive person. They’re always the idiot, the joke, the crazy one, and sometimes even the villain…...Which for someone who so often tries to relate to movie characters, it doesn’t leave a very pleasant taste.But here we have finding dory, who steps in and completely and utterly diminishes this view.Dory isn’t the villain of her movie. She’s not the joke, she’s not the crazy idiot… She’s the HERO of her movie.And it’s not inspite of her disability, but it’s because of her disability! Thank you, thank you, thank you Disney! (I knew you'd come through in the end)Finally, a movie that shows a real-life disability. Finally a movie which can be watched and loved and enjoyed by childrens, adults and families of all ages and backgrounds, which shows us an insight on disability, without drawing in on it.Throughout the entire plotline, the movie showcases what living with a disability is like. Not just for the person with the disability themselves, but for the people around them- specifically their friends and family, and I was so, so excited to see so many of the things that I associate with having Aspergers to be going on in Dory’s life as well!And if that was able to make a fairly confident nineteen year old girl, who has come to a pretty comfortable understanding with herself, feel better about disorder- imagine what this movie does to younger children who are still trying to learn about themselves and come to comfort with their terms!So many aspects of this I saw in myself. The little things that I never would have expected to see in pop-culture, because they're always seeming to be those 'hidden away' aspects that people really don't want to see, or maybe people just don't know about.I saw the systems, the routine and the support that Dory’s parents provided for her. I saw how they helped her, but they were never overbearing, belittling, and never held her back. I saw how they taught her in ways that were different that the other fish parents taught their children, and how they taught her about her disability, and taught her how to introduce herself to other fish so they understood her condition.But they never, never made it out to be a bad or negative thing.*breaths a loud sigh of relief* Thank. You. Disney. I saw myself in so many aspects of her, and my parents in so many aspects of her parents.The routines that my parents would put in place for me, the things that my mum often sets out for me. The gentle reminders, the quiet messages that would be set out just for me. These things that I knew made me different, that I was well aware set me apart from the other fish- ah, children.But now Dory was showing that she had them as well!  And then, there was something else that I could relate to, and a lot of other people with disabilities can sadly relate to as well.Throughout the movie, we see the negative stigma that society has given disabilities. We meet the ‘stereotypes’ of who we are. What people perceive us as, what people think of when they hear the word 'disability'.And it's sad, and stupid, and really quite awful. But this movie didn't set it to the side.In the movie, we meet a non-verbal sea lion and an eccentric looking sea bird, both constantly ostracised throughout the movie. Both of them being told they’re not good enough, they’re untrustworthy because of their appearance, or their lack of communication.They're stupid, because they don't know how to interact with the others.They're jokes, because they don't look like the rest of them.And then there I still was, relating to these two characters perhaps more than I’ve ever related to any other movie character before... not exactly the character a teenager usually would want to look at and see themselves in, huh? But there I was. I felt the sea-lions pain when the other sea-lions pretended to befriend him, but then pushed him off the rock.I felt Becky’s pain when Marlin tells her she’s unable to be trusted, simply because of her appearance.I’ve been in that position- I’ve felt like a quick joke on a big screen, designed simply to be exactly that... a joke. Put on display for an audience to laugh at to their pleasure.I’ve felt that social exclusion, that discrimination that this movie showed so clearly.I’ve been through those not-so-subtle signs that are given when I’m not welcome or accepted. I’ve been through those eye rolls, the long sighs, the sudden change of plans, the ‘accidental’ exclusion to events… I’ve been through those things that while other people watch from an audience perspective and laugh, I can see from the inside and go ‘woah…. That’s me.’ So many of us on the spectrum find it so, so difficult to fit in. And a lot of the time, our ways of attempting to do this are seen as weird, or off putting, or downright silly to others. Like a ridiculous movie character.A lot of the time, we’re looked at as cheap jokes- and I know throughout primary school and (my couple years of) high school, this is exactly what I felt like, and the way people would stare at me because of what I did or how I looked made me feel like I was a weird looking sea bird, or a goofy sea lion.I mean honestly, who hasn't felt that?But that’s something that I love about this movie. Because there’s no difference between the main character that everyone seems to love and adore, and these other two characters that people poke fun of and laugh at.And I think that really speaks for itself- it opens peoples’ eyes to realise this negative stigma that we have on disabilities. I think that other than the obvious reasons of childish silly humour, that maybe they were put in place to serve as an opportunity for the audience to reflect.“Why did I laugh when Gerald was pushed into the water?”“Why is it okay to judge Becky’s abilities based on her looks?” And I think that’s what I love about this movie the most. It’s opening our eyes as a society to the disabled community, and teaching us so much from it.Who would have thought that a little blue fish who was merely a companion in a movie from so long ago, could have such an impact?Finding Dory was one of the first movies that I watched that I was able to relate so deeply to on a personal level. It showed the hidden, sometimes ‘taboo’ aspects of disabilities, and Disney simply did would it should be doing... Keeping the experiences of disabilities real- take that Hollywood!  Finding Dory has taught myself, and so many other people about disabilities. It’s taught me more about myself, it’s taught my parents more about me, it’s taught my peers what disabilities are like, and I think most importantly, it’s opened a positive gateway to young children and adults alike to stop this negative stigma forming around disabilities.Finding Dory has taught me that it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to have struggles sometimes.We just have to keep swimming.