Becky Jackson, the character with down syndrome played by actor Lauren Potter

The goal and plot of the show: “McKinley High School, in Lima, Ohio, is forever changed when Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) revives the school's show choir. As Will begins to recruit members for his dancing and singing Glee Club, he realises that his ragtag group of high school outcasts could become a sensation. The students who take a chance on Glee Club soon become life-long friends as they battle school humiliation, heartbreak, loneliness, and bullying. When Glee Club proves to be very good and talented, the school's cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch),takes it upon herself to destroy the club and everyone involved with it. As Glee Club is thrown numerous challenges by the high school popular kids, rivalling show choirs, and Sue, Will won't give up on the budding student stars. Will faces phenomenal stress levels as he deals with one of his students, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), being mercilessly bullied, trying to meet the diva that is Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) high demands, mentoring football jock Finn Hudson (Cory Montieth) [who is confused by all the elements of his life], two of his students dealing with teen pregnancy, and desperately trying to fix his toxic marriage. Through all of this drama, the Glee Club must win their competitions if they want to continue existing. The show also focused on the McKinley alumni after graduation; following Kurt and Rachel navigating the scary streets of New York City, the other graduates scrambling to make it big in California, and Will, who tries to get a second generation of Glee Clubbers. This show explored the ups and downs of high school life and love while emphasising the importance of equality in schools and the world, and also sharing light on the countless problems that face students and school faculty today.” (source) The character in question Becky Jackson appears in 44 of 121 episodes. Her status in the show is that she is an alumna of the high school and serves as Sue Sylvester’s secretary. Throughout most of the show, she serves as Sue’s minion and assistant. Becky is one of four characters in the show to be featured for Down Syndrome. According to the plot line and development of this character, viewers understand that Becky was born with Down Syndrome. The actor in question is Lauren Potter. The important part of Lauren Potter’s life that connects her with the ability to play the role of Becky (an assistant to Sue, with Down syndrome) is that she too was born with Down syndrome. Her role as Becky in the show Glee is what made her known that she identified with the disability of the character she was playing. After the show, Lauren continued to advocate for those with disabilities through organisations including “AbilityPath, Best Buddies International, the National Down Syndrome Society, the American Association of People with Disabilities, and Special Olympics” (source). Beyond her commitment to advocating for individuals with disabilities, not just Down syndrome she continued to serve as an ambassador for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games (source). A major accomplishment of Lauren Potter after her role in Glee was being “hand picked by President Obama to join the ranks of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, and she's the first person on the committee with an intellectual disability appointed by the President... ever!” (source). After careful examination of the character and actor, I would say this show demonstrates success for the authenticity of movie characters with disabilities. Glee is a good and positive representation of what the directing community should be aiming for when considering, evaluating, and finding actors to represent the characters in their show. Actors and individuals with disabilities are aware that it is a bit more challenging to work with and accommodate an individual with a disability, but for the sake of the authenticity of the show, it is much better to cast an actor who has a personal connection to the disability they are representing in the show. Viewers of the TV show Glee who were not previously aware that the actor who played Becky Jackson in the show is an individual who was born with Down syndrome should feel proud of the directing community behind the casting of this show. The mere fact that they took the time to find an actor who more closely aligned on a disability level with the character they wanted that individual to play shows commitment to not only working with but supporting actors with disabilities to find a job and one that aligns with their real-life identity. To get a sense of Becky Jackson in her role in the show, watch this clip of her iconic moments put together [from 0:30 to 2:47 is the best sample]: Iconic moments of Becky Jackson After reviewing this clip it is clear how although she is technically acting the role, Lauren Potter is also simply living her life as someone who reacts to the different situations as an individual with Down syndrome. This is powerful to watch because the viewers can feel great about enjoying and supporting a show that works with actors with disabilities.