Zev on Amazing Race
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting, TV
Individuals on the Autism Spectrum have never had a voice in the media.
Of course there’s Rain Man (everyone’s first reply when I say “my son has Autism”)…
And the occasional savant on 60 Minutes or something… (which of course results in everyone’s second reply “so is he super good at math or the piano or something?”)
And that is about it.
There’s never been occasion in media where a character with Autism was actually a person… you know what I mean?
That is why I consider this season’s Amazing Race to be groundbreaking…
Because Zev Glassenberg is someone to watch.
As far as I can tell he is the first person ever in popular media to represent individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
While watching this weeks episode…
I chuckled knowingly when he’s concerned about getting his shoes wet while traveling through knee-deep floods in Vietnam…
and I felt so proud… like he was my own son… when he masterfully shepherded a flock of ducks during one competition…
and gave his jacket to a man who had none…
and my heart cheered when his team came in 2nd at the finish line for that leg of the race…
But the thing that really gets me emotional…
is that he’s got a friend.
a real friend.
Because I know I’m in for a lot of heartbreak over the next decade as I try to watch my son relate to his peers… and none of them will really understand him.
But seeing Zev with his buddy Justin gives me hope… just a little hope… that someday my boy can have a friend that understands him and appreciates him the way I do…
a friend who loves his sense of humor and is humbled by his unselfish spirit and touched by his sweet personality and…..
You can follow Zev and Justin on the race via their webpage (which is mostly twitter status updates of funny stuff Zev says on the show)
Tags: amazing race, aspergers, Autism, tv
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11 Responses to “Zev on Amazing Race”
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victoria Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 3:23 pm*love it*
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Tiffany Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 3:25 pmI’m tv-less but this was moving even w/o seeing the show. This is something I forget about sometimes because Gideon’s amazing qualities are so easily apparent to me. The sad thing is that individuals with autism will probably be truer, more loyal, more honest and genuine than any other friend. I hope many of G’s peers will be blessed enough to see those qualities as well. I hope this season of amazing race really opens the public eyes to the normalcies of autism. This is awesome.
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Mom Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 3:59 pmI enjoy reading your blog and thinking on the subject you present but this one was personal and you got me at the heart! Thanks!
Go Zev!! -
tim clark Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:06 pmdon’t know what to say, man. i felt this one deep down in my soul.
my spirit groans within me with words only God can hear. -
Camper Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:53 amI went to Camp Greylock with Justin (Kanew) and Zev as a camper when they were counselors. I can honestly say that they are being themselves 100%. They were always great friends and worked together. Zev really is quite inspiring and did not change himself at all since camp. What you see on tv is pure Zev and Kanew. I know this was Zev’s dream to be on the show and I hope he has the best time of his life…. Win or Lose. Zev is a hero not only to us at Camp Greylock and others with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, but to everyone who sees him. Through the challenges he has and will face in his life, it reminds us all to never take what we have for granted. Thank you Zev.
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Susie Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:37 pmWhat a beautiful post.
I felt all the same feelings you did. I wrote to them and told them how amazing they were and how I hope my son would one day would have a “friendship” like they have. It’s actually because of Zev that I finally told my son about having Aspergers. He told me the coolest thing when I told him about his Aspergers. This is what my almost 11 yr old ( 11 on Monday) said,”it was like I was trying to do a 1,000 piece puzzle and I was missing a piece and you just gave me the last piece”. It all makes sense to him now..well, probably not ALL…but it explained so much,and it was easy to bring up in discussion because I used Zev (and our similarities as an example.Thx Z)
It was Z & J who encouraged me to tell him. BIG Z & J fan HERE. By the way, great blog and music. I thing I will stay a while. Thanks!
Wishing you and your son the very best. -
Holly Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:59 pmI love Zev and Justin! They are my favorite team on The Amazing Race. I have a friend that has Asperger’s so I’ve done a lot of research on it so I’ve learned to appreciate his sometimes brutal honesty and his sense of humor. I do have to correct 1 thing you said though…there was a girl, Heather, on cycle 9 of America’s Next Top Model who also has Asperger’s and she made it to the top five and was also quite inspriational.
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Troy Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 6:10 pmthanks Holly, I may have to check that out… I’ve never seen Top Model…
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Stephanie Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:10 amLove watching Zev and Justin on Amazing Race. Just one note, there is a wonderful character in a recent film called ADAM who has Asperger’s. Worth checking out the movie — if not still in theaters will be on DVD in the next few months.
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Troy Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 amI hadn’t seen anything about Adam either Stephanie, thanks for that.
You also reminded me of a fantastic documentary called Billy the Kid.
I highly recommend it to anyone…the difference between great movies like that and this Amazing Race though is that this isn’t a story about ASD or Asperger’s or even about Zeb. He is just there, himself… not as a token character for comic relief, but as an equal participant in the story…
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Susie Says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 amMe again..Adam (the movie) was amazing. It was funny, thought provoking,depressing…wait for video..er dvd/blu-ray, if you are the emotional type…I think I went through an entire “pocket pack” (and more )of tissues when I saw it…but I even got teary when I watched the trailers online. I do recommend it though.
Have a great weekend.
Yesterday I looked up Aspergers in the media, and one site suggested that BERT from Sesame Street probably has ASD. Love it. Remember how mad he got when Ernie disrupted his bedtime routine. My boy and I were laughing about that yesterday..
