The New Apple TV+ Sale is a trojan horse to Disability Awareness For every subscriber
Tim Hardwick at MacRumors reported earlier this week about a “limited-time discount” currently in effect on Apple TV+ that sees the price of the nearly 6-year-old streaming video service drop to $3 for three months. The promotion runs through April 24 and is available to what Hardwick described as “new and eligible returning subscribers.”
After the 90 days, Apple TV+ costs $10 per month. It’s included in the Apple One bundle.
Apple’s offer is interesting from an accessibility standpoint in two ways. First, the bargain basement price tag is a great opportunity to access high-quality content with a minimal hit on one’s pocketbook. For budget-conscious buyers, a group of which the vast majority of disabled people are part, the savings (albeit brief) will be welcome if someone is trying to get the most bang from their entertainment’s buck. Moreover, the cost savings mean someone may finally be able to immerse in the cultural zeitgeist with shows such as Severance and Ted Lasso. It has the potential to be a real boon in a social-emotional context, as perhaps a disabled people with limited access to socialization—for health or other reasons—now has an opening to gab with family and friends about, say, the cliffhanger to end the Season 2 finale of Severance. At first blush, this may seem like a trivial thing; the reality is super-popular TV shows like Severance is the type of proverbial water cooler fodder that ostensibly “everyone” talks about, but which isn’t true for literally everyone. That Apple TV+ is inexpensive right now, however briefly, opens the possibility for said conversations to be more inclusive of more people.
Secondly, the $2.99 price point is an unbeatable entryway into what I believe to be the most earnest and genuine portrayal of disability representation in Hollywood today. For those in the disability community, the benefit is obvious: there are multiple pieces of content on TV+ which thrust people who look like them into the limelight. In an industry, and a society, which perpetually infantilizes and pities disabled people as moribund, that shows like See or Best Foot Forward or Little Voice—all shows which have long ceased development yet remain worthy watches—so richly depict disabled people as capable and human as anyone else is truly and profoundly endearing. For people without disabilities, these shows offer chances to see disabled people do cool stuff like, the case of See, Blind people being badasses in kicking ass. It stands in stark contrast to the typical inspiration porn disabled people are subject to feature in; we deserve to be the lead story instead of relegated to being the last one on many nightly newscasts.
I love Severance as much as the next person—and I was overjoyed this morning to learn The Morning Show returns this summer—but nonetheless love Apple TV+ largely due to the representational gains I reap from it. It means the world to me, as it is reaffirming of Apple’s institutional ethos on the accessibility and inclusivity of its computers. It isn’t an empty bromide. It isn’t pandering or performative. The company’s commitment to disability inclusion in Hollywood is as ironclad as its commitment to disability inclusion in its myriad software platforms. In terms of its entertainment arm, Apple is deserving of more adoration vis-a-vis TV+ for pushing societal justice and diversity forward. CODA, as another example, is so much more than “a sweet little movie.” Indeed, the film’s representational significance and critical acclaim are inextricably tied. That ought to be recognized by the mainstream critics who staff Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter.
Apple TV+ is assuredly much more, praise Kier, than simply the Severance Network.
