Gahanna Bill is about a man named Bill who was diagnosed with efasia. Bill grew up on the outskirts of Columbus Ohio. He could understand what people were saying but could not express himself. He lived with his father William Withrup until his father tragically past away. The movie talked about his child hood and how he was slow to develop speech. His mother’s death’s impact on him, and his fathers death’s impact on his syster and community. It talked about his daily routines and showed him getting awards and being happy. The overall theme was that the community found a place for bill where he could be happy and productive.
KING GIMP was about Dan Keplinger’s fight from age twelve to be accepted as a valuable member of his community. Keplinger was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child and could not transport himself until he received a power chair. He began his education at a school for children with learning disabilities and eventually with his mother’s support fought his way into a mainstream high school. His high school experience was rough because he did not have any friends and felt like his social life was artificial. Later he found art and was able to express himself. He was able to adapt to his surrounding by using a stick attached to his head for painting and typing. He went to college where a teacher told him he would never be an artist. In the end he became an artist in New York.
Gahonna Bill most closely reflects the Tragedy Charity model. The story of Bill’s life was told by the people around him. He rarely spoke to the camera. People talked about Bill’s living situation with his father. His father was interviewed but Bill was not. The community was portrayed as caring and accepting of Bill. After his father died, the school voted in favor of making a special job that bill was capable of doing.
This movie also reflects the economic model by showing him at work. Bill worked the same low-paying job for the Seven Up bottling company for twenty years. Then he was unofficially demoted to a part-time job in janitorial services. Eventually he was let go. Bill was not asked very many questions throughout the movie.
The filmmaker’s perspective of Bill’s disability was that he was happy and able to function doing simple tasks in his community. The filmmaker did not think Bill was capable of more. We can see this through the showing of different jobs bill had and also showing the community as inclusive and caring. Bill was not empowered to make his own decisions but he was happy.
KING GIMP was a reflection of the adapted social model. Dan was capable enough to handle his own education, but society was holding him back. From the beginning Dan was not given a fair shot. His father wanted him institutionalized, he was told he could not make it in main stream public school, he couldn’t function living on his own, girls never took a serious interest in him, he was told he could not make it in college, he would never become an artist and teachers even refused to talk to him. In the end he proved that he was capable of all these things.
The filmmaker’s perspective was the perspective of the disabled person. The disabled person made the film. All of the power was with him. It was the most accurate way to show what his life was like. KING GIMP was more empowering because the disabled person had the power. He made his own decisions. In Gahanna Bill all the decisions were made for Bill. King Gimp proved that society was holding him back where as Gahanna Bill showed society holding Bill up.
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