Crip Camp was nominated for an Oscar and, though it didn't win, it feels like things might change for the better... to some people. There were photos of the stars on the red carpet (with service dog)! It was a marvelous occurrence.
While it is amazing to witness (and there are subtle signs of our community breaking down barriers), Hollywood is still woefully ableist. Oscar bait with able-bodied and neurotypical folks "cripping up" is still prevalent. Our civil rights movement in the film industry is still being fought.
A ramp was built to the stage for the first time. The academy never saw need of it before. No one using a wheeled mobility aid got close enough to the stage to even consider the possibility. Why the benefits of ramps aren't apparent to able-bodied folks is always a mystery to me, but ramps also serve as an unwritten "welcome sign" to our community, so...
Anthony Hopkins won an award (and is now the oldest man to do so) but wasn't allowed to use Zoom to attend the ceremony. A neurodivergent man in his 80s during the height of a pandemic isn't allowed to teleconference because... rules. Ableds seem to want "a return to normal" post-pandemic to include our continued exclusion.
Each bit of progress we make upwards is undone by another set of stairs. Will we be welcome at the top again next year, or will the ramp be as gone as our invitations?
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