Getting It Right About What’s ‘Normal’

Recently at the movie theater, I was delighted to see a couple of very dear friends. However, unlike most such chance encounters, I saw these friends on the screen when I viewed Garry Marshall’s film, “The Other Sister. “

It’s a film about the coming of age of two young people with developmental disabilities, Carla and Danny. The film captures the essence of the multidimensional people I work with every day at Regional Center of Orange County. The center is a nonprofit agency that coordinates services for more than 10,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Like Carla and Danny, the people I work with have dreams, desires and very deep feelings; they make mistakes and learn from them just like the rest of us; and they embody an indomitable human spirit that can overcome innumerable obstacles in pursuit of what makes them happy and fulfilled.

The film was entertaining, but I was touched most by Marshall’s sensitivity in depicting many of the real life challenges faced by the families we see at Regional Center, and countless others throughout the world. In particular, I am referring to the struggles of parents in accepting their children’s conditions--the guilt, the denial--and, later, coming to terms with natural fears springing from their adult daughters’ and sons’ desires for independence and self-determination.

Thank you, Mr. Marshall, on behalf of myself and so many others who have devoted their lives to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities. We are advocates who work to increase awareness and acceptance among those in mainstream society. Thank you, also, to the team of people who worked with him on the film, and to the powers-that-be who allowed it to be made and broadly distributed. And thank you to all in the industry who shared the vision to see quality, mainstream entertainment in subject matter that typically is addressed only in sobering, documentary form.

Most often, when the issue of entertainment’s power to shape public perceptions is concerned, Hollywood is criticized. “The Other Sister,” though, sets a powerful, positive example for all in the entertainment industry whose work influences people’s views about what is “normal,” what is acceptable, and what is funny.

At Regional Center, and agencies like ours around the nation, a large part of our challenge is helping the general public to recognize the abilities of those we serve, and to recognize them as regular people who value and strive for the rights to self-determination that most of us take for granted.

They are individuals who, like all of us, want a say about where and with whom they will live and work, who endeavor to live life as “traditionally” as possible. In the characters of Carla and Danny, Marshall succeeded in entertaining us with his insightful perspective and respectful portrayal of many of the struggles, joys--and yes, the genuine humor and light-hearted moments--that confront people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The film is an encouragement to a community that rarely sees its members depicted on screen. It is an encouragement to all who strive to make our world more accepting and understanding of people who are different from us, and who seek to foster appreciation for the possibilities inherent in each person.