ABSTRACT

With the authentic casting in the TV show Speechless of disabled actor Micah Fowler to play JJ DiMeo, this research sought to explore audience attitude change after watching storylines related to an authentic disabled character. Using the parasocial contact hypothesis theory that illustrated how viewers' attitudes changed about gay men after watching TV shows with gay characters/gay men, a survey investigated the attitudes of Speechless viewers toward a TV character with a disability to assess any interaction effects on the audience about attitude change toward people with disabilities. This research confirms that positive feelings about an authentic disabled TV character and identification with that character lead to better attitudes toward people with disabilities. Having these positive feelings meant that people who viewed the JJ character expressed more willingness to interact with people with disabilities in real life.