While the portrayal of disability in entertainment has seen meaningful progress, we’re still far from the finish line. With over a billion people around the world living with disabilities, authentic representation isn’t just about inclusion—it’s about truthfully reflecting the human experience. The following 8 films and series stand out for placing real, lived experiences at the heart of their storytelling, offering honest, respectful, and impactful depictions.
8. Drought (2020)
At times, the most silent of films shout the loudest. Drought revolves around Carl, an autistic adolescent who believes he can foretell rain amid a record-breaking dry season in the American South. The emotional impact comes from the performance of Owen Scheid, an autistic actor who approaches the character with his own insight. Conceived with intense community participation and a budget of pennies, Drought demonstrates that authenticity doesn’t depend upon big studios—only sincerity of spirit.
7. Run (2020)
Kiera Allen broke barriers as the first wheelchair-using thespian to headline a big Hollywood thriller in more than 70 years. In Run, the disability of her character isn’t used as a gimmick or a surprise twist—it’s organic to the narrative.
Allen has commented on the power of seeing disabled characters represented with autonomy, and this role is a benchmark in advocating for more representation in genre films.
6. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Decades before its time, this post-WWII classic starred Harold Russell, an actual veteran and double amputee, as Homer, a veteran readjusting to civilian life. Russell’s street-smart, unvarnished performance not only won him two Academy Awards but also assisted in pushing back against Hollywood’s early practice of using disability as a plot device instead of representing it realistically.
5. Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Marlee Matlin shattered history with her Oscar-winning role as a deaf woman with a romance with a hearing man. Her acting was historic, and her win was a monumental shift for deaf visibility. Matlin not only portrayed authenticity but also power to a story that centered on communication, independence, and self-dignity.
4. Sound of Metal (2019)
Few films have so fully realized the experience of deafness as Sound of Metal does. Riz Ahmed plays a drummer losing his hearing, but the strength of the film is its culture—the cast includes numerous deaf actors, and the film interacts with deaf identity in all its richness and compassion. The film is a rare case of what occurs when narrative and lived experience come together.
3. All the Light We Cannot See (2023)
This World War II miniseries stars blind actor Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure, a teenage French girl who sends illegal radio messages to the Resistance during Nazi occupation. Her casting is an unprecedented but powerful step toward true disability representation. The character isn’t defined by her blindness—it’s defined by courage, intelligence, and emotional depth.
2. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)
It is more than a documentary, it is a living piece of civil rights history. It is the story of Camp Jened, a disability summer camp for teenagers that birthed a movement of activists who shaped the disability rights movement. It’s unflinching, humorous, inspiring—and testament to what documentary storytelling can do to amplify marginalized voices and fuel social change.
1. Sound of Metal (again)
Yes, it deserves a second mention. Sound of Metal is not just a well-made film—it’s a gold standard for disabled representation in modern films. From its use of ASL to its sound design that puts its audience inside the world of its main character, everything works to depict deafness as an alteration of life, not a life-extinguishing tragedy. It’s inclusive, it’s daring, and it’s unforgettable.
The future of disability representation is about casting actual people, telling actual stories, and moving past tired clichés. These shows and films aren’t entertainment—they’re reminders of the power of storytelling to reflect the full richness of human experience, including those very frequently left behind in the shadows.