Il racconto inclusive della disabilità e dell'autismo: i casi delle serie TV Speechless e Atypical

The article begins by sketching an overview of how cinema and TV fiction have historically misrepresented disability.\r\nDrawing on recent reports on US Television and on some influential contributions within Disability Studies, the piece\r\nhighlights the enduring presence of two problems: a lack of representation, and, when the issue is tackled, the use of\r\nstereotypes. A new critical category is then taken into account − «inspiration porn». Coined by disability rights ad-\r\nvocates, it criticizes those cultural products where people with disabilities are diminishingly depicted with the only\r\naim of giving people without disabilities the opportunity to feel positive emotions and fulfilment. Signs of change to-\r\nwards a more respectful representation of disability are perceivable in the international television offering, though.\r\nThe article analyzes two recent TV series – Speechless and Atypical – which have tried to take a step forward the\r\nstorytelling about inclusion. By focusing on ethical issues through the lenses of screenwriting theory, the analysis\r\nconcentrates on two elements: how in the story the point of view of characters with disabilities and autism reveals\r\ntheir deep and rich interior life; how inclusion is presented to the audience as a feasible, motivating goal. In the\r\nlight of the comparison of the two series, the article concludes by arguing that an ethical storytelling on disability\r\nshould accomplish three general criteria: referential realism − being informative −, optative realism − a proactive take on drama − and anthropological realism – give actions and relationships the right meaning to help the character\r\naccomplish himself/herself as a human being.