Disabilty in Eastenders

Disability in Eastenders


In Eastenders one character called Donna has a physical disability meaning she has to use a wheelchair to help her get around. Her disability is visible even when she isn't in her wheelchair as it effects her height and overall appearance. In the first scene we see her in bed after a one night stand with Fat boy. We can tell in this scene that she is disabled from the fact that she has to take medication straight away this is shown through a mid shot which emphasis the medicine and her hand which is awkwardly holding a glass. This instantly tells us as the audience that she is different from the other characters, this maybe makes people feel sorry for her. The scene makes it obvious that Fat boy is wary of how to act around her due to her disability. He is awkward around her when trying to explain how he should treat a lady. and he stutters "not..not.. what I'm trying to say is" this suggests that disabled people can make people feel awkward and uncomfortable.

In  a scene following that Fat Boy is having a convocation with his friend about how he feels. Fat boy is very fidgety in this scene and doesn't make eye contact when talking to his friend about the doubts he has. His friend tries to make jokes about the situation however Fats always turns it back around to his situation and whether Donna  is 'a mate or a date'. Throughout the scene Fat Boy has very questioning looks on his face, we see these facial expressions through close up shots on his face. The fact that Fat Boy has to think hard about how he feels is obviously because of Donna's physical state. If Donna was a fully able character Fat Boy wouldn't be so cautious.

Fat Boy decided to take Donna on a date and turns up at her house whilst she is getting ready. Donna is wearing a Red dress, the colour Red connotes love and sexiness. In the scene Donna is showing a lot of skin including cleavage. this emphasises how much effort she has made and how much she likes Fat boy. In the scene the radio is playing, this is diegetic sound. This makes the situation seem more real which in effect makes the audience feel more emotive towards what is about to happen. Donna falls and needs assistance from Fat Boy, when Fat Boy goes in to help her the camera tilts from where she is lying on the floor to Fat Boy standing over her. This is used to show the difference between Donna and Fat Boy, the camera angle shows how much power Fat Boy has compared to Donna and highlights how vulnerable she is. Donna then takes a more dominant role and instructs Fat boy in how to help her as Fat Boy is clearly taken back by the whole situation. this tells us that Fat Boy has never been in a relationship with a disabled person which is why he is so cautious around her. when fat boy is helping her up a mid shot is used and shot reverse shot so that we can see how both characters a r reacting to the situation. towards the end of the scene Fat Boy backs away from Donna and she tells him to go. This makes the audience feel sorry for Donna as it represents disabled people as unattractive and unable to find love or a stable relationship/friendship.