In his essay “”Heaven’s Special Child”: The Making of Poster Children”, Paul Longmore writes of poster children that, “…charity images portrayed them as dependent objects of charities whose most important needs were medical. In late 20th century America, the character of Tiny Tim was central to framing the cultural, social, and political significance of disability. The charities described the representative of the disabled person as a vulnerable child, one of the “weakest”” (38). According to Longmore, the consequences of childhood imaging are still strong, as most continue to imagine disabled young people in this way, as helpless, in need of saving, and placing their medical needs before other needs that aid their mental well-being . , which is ultimately important for maintaining quality of life. JJ Dimeo's character helps change that person, because he is the opposite of what is expected. He wants his thoughts and opinions to represent him, finding ways to "torture" his interpreter when he chooses to say what he deems appropriate, rather than read what he displays on his board. JJ is also not perfect in his behavior, sometimes lying to his mother and giving his younger brother a hard time. More importantly, he is shown as a happy and healthy teenager he gets