Sex Education to Ozark: 8 Inspiring Netflix Shows Committed to Representing People With Disabilities

Atypical, starring Keir Gilchrist, will return to Netflix for its fourth and final season this summer. The Peabody-nominated Netflix dramedy's fourth season will premiere on Friday, July 9. It is one of the most widely acclaimed Netflix series that gained positive responses for its depiction of a 19-year-old on the autism spectrum. Sam, played by Keir Gilchrist whose search for love and independence made this show a journey of self-discovery for millions of families around the globe, is going to air its fourth and final season on July 9 on Netflix. The series by Robia Rashid set the bar high for shows featuring individuals with disabilities.

Here are a few that have done an equally wonderful job, streaming across OTT:

1. Special

This comedy series is based on Ryan O’Connell’s memoir-manifesto I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. It tells the story of O’Connell’s own life navigating through challenges and triumphs of being a gay man with cerebral palsy. From having to unwillingly accept help from a friend to tie his shoelaces to having a sexual encounter with a sex worker to help him lose his virginity, the show is unabashed about its exploration of the complications of someone falling between able-bodied and disabled.

2. The Healing Powers of Dude

The story follows an 11-year-old Noah who navigates public school life alongside his emotional support dog, Dude who helps him manage his social anxiety disorder. Supported by his friend Amara who uses a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy is framed as a sweet, light-hearted girl rather than an object of judgment and ridicule.

3. Raising Dion

Inspired by a short film and comic book by Dennis Liu, this sci-fi tells the story of a mother attempting to hide her superhuman son who starts exhibiting abilities after the death of her scientist husband. Even though Dion is extraordinary, the show stopper is his classmate, the sassy Esperanza who has osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder also known as brittle bone disease. She is often overlooked by classmates but Dion sees her not only as a good friend but also as a talented artist rather than someone ‘different’ from everyone else.

4. Sex Education

The series centers around Otis, an inexperienced school student who teams up with Maeve to open a shady sex therapy clinic in school. However, the show also stars George Robinson playing Isaac who is in a wheelchair and uses his wit to downplay potentially awkward situations like navigating stairs. Isaac here is just another character rather than one defined by his wheelchair.

5. The Politician

Ryan Murphy’s dark comedy follows the story of a Santa Barbara-based student who is willing to go to any lengths to become student body president of his high school. Featuring a diverse set of characters ranging from a gender non-conforming person of color to a deaf black actress, as well as a transgender actor and one with cerebral palsy; the show is refreshing because not a big deal is made about their differences. Ryan Haddad who plays Andrew has cerebral palsy in real life and is seen using crutches in the show but next to no attention is paid to his disability, which is very unlike the mainstream media depictions.

6. Spinning out

After Skins, Kaya Scodelario stars in this drama as a competitive ice skater who, after facing a major fall, attempts to make a comeback with a new partner. Not only does this show accurately portray mental illness, without using the tropes of television, but it also succeeds in depicting Kat’s bipolar disorder with sensitivity. Kat’s mother, Carol played by January Jones also has bipolar disorder and their frequent conversations bring out our own triggers and fears and help destigmatize the taboo around mental health.

7. Maniac

Originally a Norwegian show of the same name, the story follows Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, playing two strangers in a near-future NYC who hope that participating in a drug trial will help them escape their inner conflicts. Owen and Annie, the characters suffer from paranoid schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, and the show crafts the plot not on their mental illness but how they together try to find the idea of “normal”. The sensitivity shown by the show in several sequences that depict actual struggles of what someone with their diagnosis might go through is brilliant.

8. Ozark

The series follows Marty, a financial adviser in Chicago who is forced into a money-laundering scandal in the Missouri Ozarks. The fan-favorite of this show is Tuck, portrayed by Evan George Vourazeris who has Down Syndrome. An employee at the local bar and hotel, Blue Cat, Tuck becomes the first friend of Marty’s son, a 13-year-old in the Ozarks. The beauty lies in how Skylar treats Tuck, no different than someone who offered a helping hand when he needed it the most.

Just like with racially diverse characters and LGBTQ+ characters, Netflix continues to push for inclusivity by incorporating characters with disabilities into its shows. These are just a few shows that portray what it's like to live your life with a disability.