Research Paper On The Movie Radio

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Radio
“Radio” is a movie released in 2003, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris. It is based on the true story of James Robert Kennedy, also known as Radio. Radio was a mentally ill, African American who lived with his mother and enjoyed spending most of his days pushing his shopping cart through the streets of Anderson, South Carolina. Radio got his name because of his love for old, vintage radios. At the beginning of the movie, Radio is pushing his cart through the street as a man stares at him, one lady pulls her daughter away from him and another man almost hits him with his car while calling him a “moron”. Every day, Radio pushes his cart by the high school where Coach Jones (Ed Harris) and the football team practice. Coach Jones soon …show more content…

Intellectual disability or “mental retardation” is defined by the IDEA as, ‘significantly sub average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently [at the same time] with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance’ (Special Education Guide, 2013-2017). Autism is defined by the IDEA as, ‘a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance’ (Special Education Guide, 2013-2017). Radio showed many signs of impairment in social interactions. He was scared to talk to new people and he froze up in new environments that he was not familiar with. He also had a hard time developing relationships with his peers and he lacked social …show more content…

is, no doubt, a great actor. The way he portrayed the two disabilities was phenomenal. The movie also depicted ways that others would treat someone with this disability. At many points during the movie, I noticed myself smiling. I was smiling because it was as if I was physically witnessing James Kennedy, himself, go through those life changing events. I also became saddened when he lost his mother. It’s like I could not only see, but feel how hurt he was. The aspect of love and courage was shown in this movie. It takes a lot of love and humanity to show an individual with a disability that he or she is just as important as anyone else. The movie depicted how Radio was such a loving person regardless of the unfair treatment he received from the people of his town. He showed so much love and eventually changed their attitude towards him. Because Coach Jones took a risk at gaining a relationship with Radio during a time where African American were not as much accepted, the movie portrayed a sense of courage. I think it is important to understand the difficulties that come with caring for an individual with a disability. I do believe that the movie captured many of those important

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