Parents want a kids TV show host removed due to her disability
Unusually for me, I'm a bit speechless over this.
Cerrie Burnell was born without her right hand. Aside from that, she is a regular human being who decided on acting and entertainment as a career.
She was cast as a presenter in the kids TV show CBeebees on BBC in the UK.
Not only have the BBC received several dozen official complaints about her, but blogs and internet chat boards have seen many more postings, calling for her to be removed from the show. All because she is missing one hand.
I may be a bit Pollyanna-ish about certain things in life but I'm slightly stunned that anyone would want a person removed from a kids show simply because they are missing a hand. Missing a head, perhaps. But a hand?
Using words like "disturbing" and "unsettling", and complaining that Ms. Burnell will cause "sleep problems" for their children, parents have also complained that she is frightening their little ones.
I have three small children of my own and knowing them as I do, they wouldn't be remotely frightened by someone's lack of a hand. They'd probably come right out and ask the person where their hand was and offer to look for it (hoping for a treat if they discovered it and fight over who found it first).
What a sad state of affairs it is when parents call for the removal of an otherwise bright, congenial and attractive woman, simply due to a disability. It is not the children who are frightened; it's the parents. Some have said that this TV host is "forcing" them to speak to their kids about disabilities and differences before they are ready but I'm left to wonder why there needs to be some big moment for these kinds of chats?
Disability is a part of many people's lives. And this young woman can only serve to show children (especially those with disabilities themselves) that they can grow up to be anything and do anything they want. What better role model could we ask for?
I wonder if these parents are bothered about overtly sexual overtones in shows that target tweens? Or the fact that thong underwear is now being sold for girls as young as six? Are these not the concerns that we, as parents, should be more focused on?
I'm not sure what is going on in the mind of someone as they pick up the phone to call for the removal of a kids TV host due to her missing hand. Heaven forbid they lose a limb of their own someday or give birth to a less than 'perfect' child.
We are all colors, all shapes, all faiths and all kinds. The sooner we parents let go of our prejudices the better. Because these prejudices filter down to our children, and otherwise innocent, all-accepting kids suddenly begin to think there is something wrong and frightening about someone who is merely missing a hand.
To learn a little more about Cerrie Burnell, click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/presenters/cerrie_tv.shtml
If you would like to support Ms. Burnell, feel free to send a message to the BBC at www.bbc.co.uk/feedback
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Would it bother you if a kids show had a host with a disability? What are your thoughts on the complaints the BBC has received regarding this issue?
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WOW, I agree and I am speechless too. It is amazing how ignorant people can be sometimes. It is really sad that someone that has a disability has to be shunned by the very community that tries to be politically correct. Thanks for the support link. I will certainly give her my support.
There are much bigger things on T.V. To be worried about. That's crazy. I hope these people wake up and realize what they're saying about disabled people.They're teaching their children to be disrespectful and discriminate against others just because they're different.
Unbelievable. This would be the perfect opportunity for parents to educate their kids about disabilities and differences.....and instead they're complaining. Crazy.
Thanks so much for the link to speak out on this to the BBC!!!
Susanc, thank you so much for your thoughtfully-written post, and for sharing this with the EmpowHer community. I am also speechless about this. I went to the website and was happy to see a message from the controller of the show, saying that Cerrie was chosen because of her remarkable talents as an actor and a person and that she fits right in to the show's community.
I would have been delighted if the children's shows that were on when my daughter was little showed a little diversity. And I think it's great that Cerrie was hired to do this show. I agree that in most of these cases, the parents' issues with disabilities are influencing their kids' reactions. I think and hope my daughter would have asked "hey Mom, where's her hand?" and I would have said "She was born with just one hand," and she would have said "Oh" and that would be it. No big deal.
I just hope that Cerrie isn't seeing all of the negative comments being written about her.
Thank you again for posting this. I hope we can all go to the link and show our support for Cerrie.
What a wonderful example set by this show. I hope she wasn't picked because of her handicap but clearly it looks like she is doing a great job as host.
Susan, what a wonderful SHARE. I'm as astonished as you are.
I think I thought we were past all this by now, at least mostly. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act is now almost 20 years old. Sesame Street had disabled people on the show, and I don't recall any outcry over that program when they did. So this came as a bit of a shock to me.
But then I got to thinking, and in trying to come up with just ONE broadcast personality in the U.S. that has a noticeable disability, I couldn't do it. Perhaps on-air camera personalities is an area where there is still a lot of integration to be done.
I hope the BBC stands by Cerrie. I read a post by a father whose little girl is also disabled -- how wonderful that she can watch a television show and see someone who is fun and accomplished regardless of her disability. Now that's good children's tv.
This story is all over American news, as well, for example:
MSNBC Today
And here's a summary of a TV special called On a Roll: Family, Disability & The American Dream
Though radio talk show host Greg Smith is a mere 65-pounds and relies on a power wheelchair, he is a large figure in the disabled community who has broadcast his own show "On a Roll," which examines the lives and struggles of the disabled, out of his home for years. Active on the front for disabled causes, Greg has cultivated an audience and managed to raise a son, but still has trouble managing the simple tasks of daily life.
Read the full review in the NY Times Defying a World That Sees Only His Limits
Although this has already happened, there was one broadcast personality who hosted a Comedy Fundraiser to Make College Scholarships Available for Disadvantaged American Students with Severe Physical Disabilities
This event is coming up on March 4, 2009: Bid for a Change, an auction event hosted by the ADA and headlined by some pretty big names like Martha Stewart and Jamie Lee Curtis. You can find umpteen stories online about how people come together to help others who have lost limbs or been disfigured in one way or another.
Diane mentioned the ADA, our workplaces have to visibly post the legal poster about the ADA, and we in the IT world responsible for web development are supposed to comply with the Sec. 508 Accessibility Guidelines governing electronic information delivery to persons with various disabilities. We were amazed by Heather Mills' dancing skills with her prosthetic limb on "Dancing with the Stars." There is a fellow on a popular daily news show who is in a wheelchair, but I can't think of a host or anchor who has a disfigurement.
I think you're right, Diane, that we still have our biases in favor of beautiful broadcasters.
Now, if someone can only do something about people who park their luxury vehicles in handicapped spaces and walk around better than I do with an injury after a marathon!
Good gods. Are these people seriously shameless enough to make demands like that?
However, I do find it morbidly amusing that her favourite game is "Twister" >.>