Look, it's TV, if you want to prove them wrong about persons with Disabilities get out and Live Life and don't watch their stupid TV Show.. Maybe it was worse for raymond Burr as Ironsides. He still was treated with a certain amount of respect and got around in a pre-ADA world.
30 Years before that Lionel Barrymore brought class to being an actor and as a man in a wheelchair from 1938 on. He did so particularly well in his role as "Dr. Gillespie" on the Dr. Kildare Series, he worked in a chair due to arthritus and injuuries, but he was a great actor. You can't expect some dumb punk actor in a spoof to get it right! Face it, the community at large is still ignorant of the lives of people with disabilites. Not just the ignorance of the producers, writers and show sponsors, but people I meet everyday. You want to raise awareness, write the show sponsors.
The TV show Cheers tried to be PC in their first episode with a person in a wheelchair was sitting at a table in the bar before someone asked how they got the lady down the flight of stairs in her chair and how show would get to the restroom with two more steps to go down. Later an episode of Fraser had a man in a wheelchair acting like a jerk to Kelsey Grammar. after that Ted Danson as Becker was the jerk to a guy in a chair although again it was still a bad role, News Radio and several other Sit coms fail to get it right.
My favorite character in a chair is Joe on Family Guy. The writers might take some liberties, but Ive known with guys just like Joe in my travels racing wheelchair. . I was dating a lady recently, but her friends said things like "You''ll just end up being his nurse" or "He can't do anything fun can he?" Of course sex is always brought up too. As a guy living in a wheelchair since 1982 when I crashed a car at age 23 I've done more in my life than most ablebodied people ever will. I've travelled the world, completed over 50 marathons, started a successful Non-profit, been back stage for the Rolling Stones, plowed fields all day long, fished in canada, swam in the oceans, milked cows, been hit three times by cars while in my wheelchair and life goes on. Yes, Glee insults us all because we haven't yet learned to treat everyone equal in society. Like I said get out and Live Life don't watch it. PEACE, The Token Gimp!
