![]() Why did the disability press have such a markedly different response from the mainstream press to Reeve's convention speech? One concept that proves useful in understanding the divergent responses to the same speech is polysemy. Steven Brown, co-founder of the Institute on Disability Culture, asked, "Why is Christopher Reeve up there for other than to solicit feelings of pity and pathos from an imagined audience that will contribute to the cause of a party system that even goes so far as to 'claim' its disabled citizens" (Brown, 1996) and one disabled blogger wrote, "We're all horrified because he can undermine the life work of hundreds of advocates in just one speech" (Mail, 1997). Greg Smith, founder of a syndicated disability radio talk show, claimed that, "in twenty minutes, Reeve reinforced all the negative images they have associated with for decades" (Brown, 1996). "Christopher Reeve launched the most subtle, pervasive, and invidious attack against disability rights and people with disabilities in recent memory," wrote historian and disability rights author Paul Longmore (Longmore, 1996). However, these few lines did not impress the burgeoning disability press, which expressed feelings ranging from disappointment to absolute outrage over Reeve's speech. Whether done to silence his critics or out of genuine interest, Reeve began his speech with the declaration that "we all have value," and added that the Americans with Disabilities Act should be "honored everywhere … need "access not only to buildings, but to every opportunity in society" (Reeve, 1996). In fact, Reeve did work with vice president Al Gore's main speechwriter, 2 who disability advocates say was heavily lobbied to include references to these issues (Longmore, 1996). 1 The disability press acknowledged that "Christopher Reeve incorporated some important lines about the ADA and disability rights into his … address," but they attributed these references - which they saw as fleeting - to input by disability activists in the Clinton party (Longmore, 1996). Reeve's speech ran ten minutes longer than rehearsed - largely due to sustained applause - but the networks did not cut away (Simendinger).īut if Reeve's "Superman" was seen by the mainstream press as soaring magnificently, he barely got off the ground with the disability press. ![]() I'll even give you a head start" (Reeve, 1996). "I have seen your train go by, and I think I can beat it. The man who was "faster than a speeding locomotive" teased Clinton about his train trip to Chicago. ![]() It was Superman, in fact, who opened Reeve's speech. Even Washington Post's Tom Shale - no champion of the Democrats - conceded that Reeve provided "moving moments" and titled his column, "It Took Superman to Rescue This One" (Shales, 1996). The Wall Street Journal simply summarized his speech as "(calling) for greater support for disabled people" (World-wide, 1996). Robin Leary of The Philadelphia Tribune wrote that "the heart-tugging moment of last night's program … came when actor Christopher Reeve, who is now a quadriplegic … spoke about overcoming adversity, and needs of the disabled" (Leary, 1996). With the force of personal example, Reeve gave voice to the themes of compassion and community. The 'Superman' star argued that the country must not only commit itself to easing suffering and financial burdens, but also must find the research dollars to discover cures. Reeve spoke movingly of families hit with the enormous complications of a loved one's disabilities. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer described the speech as one in which The Washington Post wrote that "Reeve paid tribute to the human spirit and spoke of balancing scarce resources and human suffering … the actor praised the Americans with Disabilities Act" (Balz, 1996). "The evening was capped by Reeve … (who) also praised the Americans with Disabilities Act," wrote Richard Berke of the New York Times (Berke, 1996). Reeve, who was paralyzed in a 1995 riding accident, was hailed for championing disability rights. The Los Angeles Times reported that he "brought many delegates to tears as he appealed for more medical research," and noted that the major commercial networks ran eleven minutes overtime to accommodate Reeve's speech and a brief response from Clinton (McManus & Fritz, 1996). ![]() "Reeve Saves Democratic Party" read the full-page headline in the next day's New York Daily News (Simendinger, 2000). The television cameras panned over faces in the audience that were intent and tearful, and the mainstream press responded to the speech with glowing reviews of how Reeve articulated courage and vision. On August 26, 1996, former "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve sat before 60,000 people at the Democratic National Convention in his electric wheelchair and gave a quiet but impassioned plea for funding research leading to cures for disabilities. ![]()
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