To be or not to be in the class: tussles with tourette syndrome

In the United States and the U.K., the inclusion of disability studies under the discipline of humanities and social sciences is based on the notion that political rights and academic discourses are intricately linked. According to Lennard J. Davies, the “problem” of disability does not lie with the person with disabilities but rather in the way that normalcy is constructed. The paper analyses critically the representation of Tourette syndrome in the movies Hichki and Front of the Class. Both these movies are adaptations of the autobiography of Brad Cohen, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. The paper also investigates how the teachers diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome (TS) become role models to their students by articulating the exact message of education. The films Hichki and Front of the Class have portrayed the discrimination, isolation and alienation which Naina and Brad Cohen were subjected to. While Brad Cohen works with kids who have TS, Naina works with a group of underprivileged students and becomes successful in transforming them into better students of refined character and behaviour. With her constant suggestions and training, she is able to improve the academic performance also of these students. These teachers become real role models who make a difference in the lives of others.