At the beginning of March, TLC debuted its latest reality series, “Jay and Pamela." The series follows an engaged couple living with osteogenesis imperfecta, aka brittle bone disease—which "Real Housewives of Atlanta" newbie Kelli Ferrell brought awareness to in a recent episode of the Bravo show, helping to raise money at an event in support of those who live with the disease.
In TLC’s furthering of awareness on OI, the series introduces Jay Manuel and Pamela Chavez by highlighting their upbeat, can-do attitude butting up against the harsh realities of society and their own medical limitations. I knew that, for better or worse, I’d have to watch it, especially considering Jay and Pamela’s “rare disorder” was my own. I have lived with osteogenesis imperfecta my entire life and am a full-time wheelchair user. I’ve also watched a lot of content that seeks to talk about my disability. Most of these fall in the same trope of emphasizing those with OI as fragile china dolls, even if they don’t have the short stature and other physical attributes commonly associated with OI. The 2000 superhero film “Unbreakable” and its 2019 sequel “Glass” are prime examples, where the villainous Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) only retains the extremely breakable bones and nothing else.
