A new Netflix series is set to shine a light on the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people on the disability spectrum.
Special, written by and starring Ryan O'Connell, is based on his memoir about living with cerebral palsy, titled 'I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves'.
According to a synopsis of the show: “Special, is a distinctive and uplifting new series about a gay man, Ryan with mild cerebral palsy who decides to rewrite his identity and finally go after the life he wants."
It continues: “After years of dead-end internships, working in his pajamas as a blogger and communicating mostly via text, Ryan eventually figured out how to take his life from bleak to chic and began limping towards adulthood.”
Based on O’Connell’s “real-life ups and downs growing up gay and disabled with cerebral palsy,” the series, which is released in April, promises to be a positive depiction of disability and sexuality.
It also explores O'Connell's struggle to come to terms with his cerebral palsy. Speaking with Vulture, he explained that for years he lied about the reason behind his limp - pretending it was an injury from a car accident he was involved in.
"When I moved to New York, everyone assumed my limp was from my car accident," he said.
"I never corrected them because, in my eyes, I never related to having cerebral palsy. My case was so mild, and I really was just looking for any opportunity to get cerebral palsy off of me.
"So when the opportunity came to rewrite my identity as an accident victim — which in my eyes was very relatable because getting hit by a car could happen to any of us, whereas [with] cerebral palsy, you’re born with it — I f##kin’ took it."
