Dory’s disability isn’t treated like a character flaw by the writers
People who (even subconsciously) view it as a character flaw are the ones who end up learning and changing
She sees herself as a burden because of her disability and the ultimate response is “We were wrong to make you feel that way and we love you the way you are”
Her disability isn’t magically cured and doesn’t preclude her or her loved ones from being happy even though it makes certain things more challenging
Her parents aren’t overly sheltering and teach her to be self-sufficient in ways that work with her brain
The people around her realize that her mind is never going to work the same way theirs do, and that’s okay
She’s treated as deserving of patience and respect
She stays disabled throughout the entire movie
Finding Dory is so important.
I saw this movie as someone with sensory processing problems, anxiety, and OCD and it made me so happy to see a movie that didn’t look like it was funded by Autism Speaks, and instead was a movie that taught young children that a disability doesn’t magically disappear, and to love people nonetheless for it.
Every parent of young children should show them this movie.
