Opinion: Susan Boyle advances learning disability cause
June 9th, 2009
‘Unfortunately, many people don’t seem to understand what a learning disability is – and that includes the producers of Britain’s Got Talent’
Writing in the [UK] Guardian Joe Public Blog, Ciara Evans says the producers of Britain’s Got Talent should have given better support to Susan Boyle. The singer was hospitalized last week for “emotional exhaustion” after filming the show’s final episode.
An excerpt:
Some people have suggested that people who have a learning disability, such as Susan Boyle, should be stopped from going on Britain’s Got Talent. This would mean denying 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK the chance to take part and have the same opportunities as everyone else. This makes no sense and is discriminatory.
What is clear is that the Britain’s Got Talent team at ITV need to provide support for all their contestants based on their individual needs.
… Susan Boyle has the potential to be an international superstar – she just needs the right support to get there.
Ciara Evans, who has learning disabilities, is a spokesperson for Mencap, a leading UK charity for people with learning disabilities.
(Photo from the [UK] Guardian.)
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on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 7:08 am and is filed under arts/music, celebrities, commentary, learning disabilities, television.
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June 10th, 2009 at 12:55 am
I agree w/ Mike. What Ciara Evans fails to realize is that what happened to Susan Boyle is unprecedented. I mean, when has a talent show contestant soared to worldwide superstar status in a matter of a few weeks? When was a talent show contestant front page news in all of the UK newspapers & covered on the USA evening news? I could go on & on, but you get my point.
So, her meteoric rise to global superstardom fueled the paparazzi to go after her as they usually do anyone who is so famous — some have speculated that their fury in the hostile manner that they went after her may have been fueled by those in the bookie business who stood to win big money if she didn’t win BGT.
To me, they were hounding her as if she was Princess Diana returned from the dead. Even those who love Susan Boyle were adding to the stress every time that she stepped out of her room & even knocking on her hotel door to ask for everything from autographs, ’say hello to my Mum on my mobile phone’, take a pic w/ me, etc.
The combined result was that Susan could not sleep and she had an upset stomach for several days before the final of the talent show. I totally believe that the same thing could happen to any of the geniuses out there w/out any learning disability who are now playing know-it’all’s’ & so quick to criticize BGT for not taking better care of her.
Who could’ve predicted such an unprecedented event? Once BGT saw the toll that it was taking on her, they were quick to move her to a ’safe house in an undisclosed location’, but by then the damage was done. It wasn’t BGT’s fault.
If we have to pin blame on one entity, then it would have to be the press, but in fairness, it was all of us — those in the feeding frenzy media & those of us who love her & can barely wait for her CD to come out.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Why not support the actors who endure long and difficult hours in order to provide us with that which we value so much? As long as the entertainment industry is so treasured, we really would do well to care for those who run it. The down side is that maybe we would have less spur-of-the-moment head shavings and poorly considered garment choices, and thus an entire facet of the industry would have to be created anew to supply us with tabloid fodder.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I am sorry, but I disagree with this position. Susan is an adult, she needs to be able to advocate for herself and request what she needs. It is not societies or private enterprise responsibility to impose a support system on anyone. She is articulate and to a large degree more self-dteremined that many young people I have worked with. I can’t say as though I would have reacted any better than her in this particular situation. Fame is an overwhelming and very fleating position for anyone with or without a disability.