Questioning Normalcy: Constructions of Disability in “House, M.D.”
Isabel Fontenelle Arantes | 2010
The U.S. television series House, M.D. represents a cultural item from the most dominant culture in the world today. With a main character that suffers from chronic pain and limited mobility, the story focuses on his job diagnosing mysterious cases. The series reflects the views of many North-Americans regarding disabilities of all types, including physical and cognitive. This research examined through the lens of critical disability studies three episodes from House, M.D. in which patients were forced by their guardians and the titular character to undergo great changes in mind and body in order to conform to the majority notion of “normal.” The analysis demonstrates that the series values the medical model of disability over the social model, placing responsibility on disabled individuals to adapt rather than criticize society’s infra-structural problems in providing access.