Family, Community, and Perceptions of Disability in My Left Foot: An Analysis Anonymous College

The autobiographical novel and film My Left Foot demonstrates a wide range of interactions and attitudes between all those Christy encountered, ranging from his youth to his eventual success as a writer and painter and his marriage. As an individual, Christy faced many difficulties in interacting with others, but was eventually able to make himself understood. Interactions vary deeply even within his family, ranging from deep love and support in the face of poverty and an inability to communicate to the bitterness of an alcoholic father who is unable to communicate his feelings to his family. At a community level, perspectives of Christy’s cerebral palsy were largely receptive, with a few hard-hitting exceptions. Overall, the interactions and perspectives demonstrated in the film are illustrations of how one’s community and family involvement can make a difference in how ‘disabling’ a disability really is.

As a youth, Christy was unable to communicate with his family and unable to move his body with precision, with the exception of his left leg and foot. When his mother fell down the stairs because of a stroke, he was able to rouse himself from his bed and down the stairs, thumping on the door to call the attention of his...