Disability Stereotypes

In the media, news coverage hasn't established very many stereotypes about people with disabilities that come across to me as negative. That's not to say they aren't out there, and I am not saying I'm the expert on the subject, but if I sit and think about it, I can't think of anything that news coverage does that portrays people with disabilities negatively, which may mean they are under-covered. The only example I can think of is in the form of autism, where kids with autism are portrayed as smart kids who have good physical ability, but can't function well with other children. I'm not sure if that stereotype is correct or not, but that seems to be the constant story that the news feeds. Mass media, on the other hand, is a much different story.
In mass media, there are more stereotypes about disabilities that keep popping up. The most popular has been for people who are handicapped, specifically people in wheelchairs. In the mid to late 1990s, there were two movies that created the stereotype that people who are in wheelchairs are grumpy and think everyone else's problems are miniscule compared to theirs. They were put across as rude and out of line. In "There's Something About Mary," Ben Stiller helped his boss move into his new apartment. His boss, who was in a wheelchair, had Stiller carry ridiculously large pieces of furniture, while hounding him for complaining about the items being too heavy. In "The Big Lebowski," Jeff Bridges, who plays Jeffrey Lebowski, meets a man of the same name who is in a wheelchair. The second Lebowski talks about how he was able to accomplish twice as much as normal men without the use of his legs and no one can understand that.
I don't know that the stereotype is completely true or false. I have met some people in wheelchairs who fit the stereotype, but several more who don't. However, it's true that you meet rude people everywhere you go, so I don't think it's a stereotype that they are fitting into. The new stereotype has been the one by Joe in "Family Guy," who is handicapped, but good-natured about it. The show does go over the line with his handicapped jokes sometimes, but his character in the show is a good friend who has strong values and lives a normal life. The critics of his character can say what they want, but would they rather have Joe be who he is or see him as Jeffrey Lebowski?