The movie shows the discrimination and the problems Kennedy (Radio) went through as a result of being a disabled kid. “Radio”, is Kennedy nickname which he got from people of his hometown due to his interest with the device which he took everywhere with him since his childhood. The inspiration that Kennedy got from his Radio made him love football despite of being mental disables.
Disability was a huge blow to the life of Kennedy who in the movie is sen as a determined boy who experience rejection by even his fellow kids. The form of disability is seen when Goodling’s character constantly start observing down and by using his right hand shows gesture. Radio go through hardship situations daily as seen in how he almost get knocked by a vehicle as he was pulling his cart in the streets but a woman come to his rescue. His slowness in judgments would have been the cause to the accident which frustrates the driver making him abuse Radio.Radio has got altered teeth and has got two teeth wichrepresent some sort of disability in that poor radio visited the dentist more often than the other kids in his hometown.
Kennedy who is developmentally challenged person spends all his afternoons walking past the football field of a local high school in the small town of Anderson. The high school footballers looked down on the boydue to his disability and did not want him near the field or the team. Radio irritated the footballers to an extent of locking him in the shed to torment him as they saw the disabled boy was of no importance to them due to his development disability. This brought a connection between Kennedy and the footballers coach Jones, who finds him and feel pity for himoffering to help him. The coach understood disability is not inability and later one learns that he also did this due to the guilt that keeps hunting him.When coach Jones was young, had found a child who was mentally disabled locked in a cage under a house and he did nothing. He see’s the situation of Radio as a second chance to reddem himself from the guilt in him.
The exact cause for Radio dsability is not well-known as the coach got concerned with his disability and asked the boys mother who told him it was a hereditary disability. Radios’ father and his brother also had the same disability issues. The doctor would not also state the exact disability problem of Radio as he said that Radio is only a little slower than most. Her mother would only help his family to his level best as there was no other option for his sick family. The coach sa the interet in football of Radio despite of his slowness and poor interactions with others. Radio did not listen to other critics and could train in the rain and this sign of rain shows that even disability would not stop him. The radio was the only inspiration for Kennedy and would not stop singing due to rain which encouraged Kennedy.
The principal also was against Kennedy being part of the team as he referred to Kennedy with some sort of harsh words as the coach tries to integrate Radio into the team as a friend and an assistant. The previous coach was also not in favour of Radio as he forbid the poor boy tojoin the others for a competition in Northwestern High as he claimed that the bus was too crowded for radio to be included in the journey. To show that Radio has same capability like the other normal teammates, lack of him resulted to the tam losing to Northwest High 27-20.
Everybody in the area had love for the football game as everyone went to watch matches every Friday and Saturday morning was the day to celebrate their winning. This time the people had a problem with the coach as he allowed Radio be part of the team. The people including the coach gather in the town barber shop which acts as a place for football talk with signs of Radio is changing it and coffee how for the year the football is going about. The people feel that the coach had failed them and at the barber shopconvience Jones to keep aside Radio as his disability only will result to the loss of matches in the team. He couldn’t listen to the critics of people who ironically had love for the football but would not accept the disability of an individual mate.
The disability in Radio however, did not deter the coach point of view and decision. He promised himself that he must support the disabled boy and keep him in the team as his capabalities were equal with the other mates. Jones took a bold step and helped the disabled Radio since if it was not for the coach , Kennedy (Radio) would probably be dead.
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