ITV is putting its first physically disabled cast member in the villa – but the predictable narratives of ‘overcoming disability’ simply reinforce today’s rampant ableism
Love Island has announced what it says is its “most diverse” cast ever, which includes their first physically disabled contestant: Hampshire PE teacher Hugo Hammond, who has a clubbed foot.
Although we are yet to see any of this year’s supposedly diverse cast on screen, the ableist gaze the world will see Hammond through is already crystallising. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, the Birmingham Mail and The Mirror labelled Hammond as “inspirational”, apparently just for existing as a disabled person who has played cricket for England’s physically disabled team. The Radio Times went with the angle that “clubfoot has not stopped him from chasing his sporting dreams” and he is “inspiring the next generation of athletes”.
While these descriptions might appear well-intentioned, whenever a disabled person in the public eye does anything that challenges the stereotypical view of disability (non-sexually active, innocent individuals who submit to or ‘overcome’ disability), the word ‘inspirational’ seems to automatically attach itself to their name. Hugo Hammond’s casting as one of Love Island’s first disabled contestants is looking to be no different.
Disabled people are rarely portrayed in the media as nuanced human beings. They are either a burdensome irritation on society – see the controversial documentary series Benefits Street – or inspiring beacons designed to make the non-disabled feel guilty for not appreciating their blessings. By attaching supposedly positive affirmations like “inspirational” and “overcoming disability” to a disabled Love Island contestant, non-disabled producers, writers, and commentators can congratulate themselves on how progressive they are. They allowed a disabled contestant on the show, how could they be anything but inclusive?
The reality is that ableism is far more insidious than refusing access to a disabled person or shouting slurs in the street, especially when it comes to representation on screen. Like all other types of prejudice, ableism has many forms and can shapeshift whenever its culprit feels like they’re being attacked for having bias. People will claim that labelling a disabled person as inspirational is unproblematic because they are simply celebrating their achievements, however, using the term in association with disabled people has a toxic history. It even has a name: “inspiration porn”.
First coined by disability activist Stella Young, the definition is as follows: “Inspiration porn is the depiction of disabled people as inspirational solely or in part because of their disability.” Typically, inspiration porn places disabled people on pedestals for doing ordinary tasks or depicts them as ‘overcoming’ disability because they do things that non-disabled people assume they are incapable of. This is a trope that we have seen time and time again on screen, as well as in our daily lives.
Almost every disabled person you speak to will have an anecdote of being called inspirational for doing an ordinary task, like making their own food or simply continuing to exist. On screen, this manifests in multiple ways. On the Channel 4 show The Undateables, it appeared by positioning disabled people as objects of inspiration for not letting their disability hold them back from romance. Whenever the Paralympics occurs, inspiration porn feeds into almost every piece of coverage. Athletes are talked about as if they are superhuman beings who have overcome disability to ‘beat the odds’. While disabled people can absolutely be called inspirational, it should never come with the caveat of ‘because they are disabled’.
Sadly, even disabled people participate in this narrative. There are countless interviews with disabled people who say they ‘overcame disability’, but these people should not be blamed for the ableism they have internalised. Society frequently tells disabled people that they are burdensome, that they will achieve little to nothing, and that they are not a good disabled person if they let their disability hold them back from life. Consequently, when disabled people do achieve great things they might consider it as happening in spite of their disability, not just in tandem with it.
By pushing inspiration porn storylines, the media feeds a long-held – and mistaken – belief that disabled peoples’ worth is intrinsically tied to their ability to overcome disability and contribute to society
The social model of disability, which posits that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by impairment or difference, shows that disabled people are more limited by inaccessibility, poverty, and fewer employment opportunities than their actual condition. The media, however, often sidelines these issues in favour of spotlighting disabled people who can deliver a prettier inspiration porn narrative instead. Sadly it’s likely that Love Island’s disabled contestant will be another in this already overpopulated field.
We can already see it in the depiction of Hammond as the ‘first’ disabled dater on the show; the “first non-controversial disabled contestant” would be a more accurate definition. In 2018, Niall Aslam, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, left the show after nine days and was checked into a psychiatric hospital after developing stress-induced psychosis in the villa. He has since alleged that the show treated him like a ‘performing monkey’ and that no accommodations were put in place to help him assimilate on set.
@niallaslam Love island to psychiatric care story time Part 1 Means a lot people still care 💜#fyp #foryoupage #mentalhealth #loveisland
♬ original sound - Niallaslam
Sidelining disabled stories that do not fit into this neat, ‘inspirational’ box has a devastating impact on disabled people and the perspectives non-disabled people have of us. By pushing inspiration porn storylines, the media feeds a long-held – and mistaken – belief that disabled peoples’ worth is intrinsically tied to their ability to overcome disability and contribute to society. Those who cannot meet these standards are left wondering if the world really believes that their lives are less worthy for not being the ‘right’ kind of disabled person.
Even though disabled representation on Love Island could be a monumental moment, I know good intentions will be undercut by subtle narratives that depict Hammond as inspirational simply for daring to date as a disabled person on a popular TV show. Just throwing a disabled contestant into ITV’s brutal shark’s nest will do nothing to tackle the rampant ableism that is deeply rooted in society. Unless producers consult disabled creators, make the villa fully accessible – which they said in 2019 would be too costly – and ensure inspiration porn stays out of the show, this disabled contestant’s presence will only fuel ableist tropes on TV.