Over on Disability Horizons website, writer and Bake Off superfan Raisa debates whether Great British Bake Off contestant Briony William’s impairment not being mentioned was a good thing.
She says:
If I’m completely honest, I’m extremely conflicted by the fact that nobody mentioned Briony’s disability. She probably wanted it to be that way, I’m guessing. Part of me thinks that not disclosing it means it is not a big deal, making disability ‘normal’. It stopped her from simply getting votes or pity and meant that she could just get on with the baking itself.
But the other part of me wishes someone had said something at the beginning, to show disabled people that they are being represented on TV in a positive way. I hadn’t even realised Briony had a disability until she mentioned her “little hand” during cake week. I would have liked to have felt solidarity with her from the very beginning, instead of it being treated as a minor detail. Because, at the end of the day, this is a huge milestone for TV, to have someone with a disability on such a high-profile show.
Read the whole article here.
What do you think? Were you pleased it was mentioned or do you wish they had said more about it? How do you talk about your own impairment?
