It’s sold over six million copies since its 2012 release.
While many laud the book as a beautiful tearjerker, Ladau found it more troubling than anything.
TheNSCISCsays that each year, there are 17,000 new SCI cases.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Yet people with disabilities rarely get representation in the media.
A2011 studyshowed that less than one percent of regular characters on broadcast TV shows had any sort of disability.
Evans was born with a progressive neuromuscular disease that took his ability to walk from him at age 15.
But he’s built a life.
To be clear, assisted suicide is a nuanced issue that many people have strongly fought for.
If its suggesting you cant live boldly while disabled, that message can unfortunately stick.
“I have the level of care needs that Will Traynor in this book has,” Evans says.
At age 26, an accident gave him the same SCI that Will in the book has.
Now 58, Kelly seesMe Before Youas dangerous to people with newly acquired SCIs.
The reason: It seems to suggest suicide as heroic for someone with a disability.
At the end of the book, Will sees his death as freeing Louisa.
And its vile."
But it’s something Will’s character can’t grasp, leading to his pessimism.
Activists are worried that the film’s potential success will spread that attitude.
“And thats going to impact how were treated.”
“Will has two yearstwo years and then he kills himself.
“He was obviously depressed, but there was none of that.
Nobody was coming in and giving him therapy, and thats a big thing.”
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This week, activists opposing the movie started publicly campaigning against the film.
The Twitter chat encouraged fans to use #AskSam and #LiveBoldly to tweet their questions to the star.
We were very careful with how we wanted to present things,” Clarke told the British paper.
“And we are showing a situation, we are not showing an opinion.
But she wants to raise awareness about how the story’s portrayal of disabilityone of despairis an overused storyline.
She wants the media to stop making people with disabilities the victim.
Youcanlive a full life with a disability.”
