FEATURE ARTICLE: Inspiration Porn and How Best to Depict Disabled Characters

Below (and in full in PDF form) are pages of an article that I wrote and designed using InDesign, and I used Photoshop and Illustrator to create the images. The article is about the depiction of disabilities in the media. A big problem in the media today is the depiction of disabilities in two strict ways. One treats a disability as something that must be cured—or, even worse as a joke—and the other as something special. The Good Doctor, Sherlock, Daredevil—in all these shows, the one with the disability, whether it be autism or blindness, is treated as a savant. Nuanced, yes, but as exceptional because of their differences. Stella Young, an Australian comedian and disability rights activist, calls this Inspiration Porn.

Mock-Up

Magazine-style mock-up of the article.

First spread (InDesign)

The first spread of the article.

Second spread (InDesign)

The second spread of the article.

Third spread (InDesign)

The third spread of the article.

Article

The entirety of my Feature Article.

Read the document