We love it!
The more we watch, the more we can relate to the DiMeo family! We are already like them.
The DiMeos have three children and one has cerebral palsy. He is nonverbal and in a wheelchair.
He attends mainstream high school and uses a communication board. His eyes focus on words on the board and someone reads the words for him.
Often, when a character has a disability, the actor doesn't. Or, the actor has a mild form of the disability but the character has a more severe form. Often, characters in a wheelchair are played by actors who can walk.
At first, we were so impressed with the sounds JJ, the character with cerebral palsy, made. Those noises sounded just like my sounds! We loved the movements of JJ, because they were so real and so like my movements.
We love that the role of JJ is played by Micah Fowler, an actor with cerebral palsy. Micah does need his wheelchair. He is nonverbal and does use a communication board. Micah can speak. His speech is sometimes slow, but he can speak. Micah has just done a fitness challenge, against another actor with cerebral palsy. He does physiotherapy, like me. He works hard at his walking, like me.
This show could be about me.
When Mum and Dad watch Speechless, they always watch it with me. Sometimes, there are sad bits, but mostly, this show is very funny, very real and a little bit cheeky.
And then, she can be sad and disappointed.
And always, she loves her kids.
Mum's like that. Usually, it is the mum who goes to all of the appointments. It's usually the mum who arranges things, orders equipment, books therapists and deals with the daily stares and comments. The dads are usually at work, to make the money to pay for the equipment and therapies.
JJ's mom is just like my mum. Perhaps JJ's mom is a little bolder, but JJ is older than me.
JJ is a bit cheeky! He has fun at a school dance, flirts with the girls at his school, annoys his siblings and is learning to give the bird when people stare at him.
I want to be like him.
There have been some complaints about this show, from people with disabilities.
But, we love it!
Every episode has so many things we can relate to. This is our life! And, Speechless portrays the everyday challenges and difficulties in a realistic way, while emphasising the humour that comes with a life of severe cerebral palsy. (If you don't laugh, you'll cry.)
We can't wait to see what the DiMeos and JJ get up to next!
Watch the Official Speechless trailer:
Follow Micah Fowler and Speechless on instagram.
Oh, and Mum wants to change our van's number plates to She Nutz!
They Want Octopus Arms
Little Fingers Reaching
Something to Say But No Words to Say It
And Then, They Whispered about Me
I’m a Kindy Kid!
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Dexter's Cancer
Return to Home page
Find me on: facebook twitter instagram youtube