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By Kayla Cohen

Last season, Kevin McHale, who plays Artie, wheeled himself into the pool during a synchronized swimming act. Isn’t that more insulting than comical?

After all the scrutiny that “Glee” went through from the beginning of the first season for having an able-bodied actor play a character in a wheelchair, they are back at it again. Quinn, played by Dianna Agron, has now returned back to Glee, but in a wheelchair.

We don’t have actors pretend to play a character with Down Syndrome because that’s morally wrong. But we allow actors to play characters in wheelchairs. Is that morally wrong as well? Or not?

“I like that now when I got out in the community little kids aren’t like, ‘Wow, Mommy, what is she sitting in?’ because half of the time they have seen a wheelchair on television,” said Kelly Cooper, a 23-year-old senior majoring in law. “However I don’t agree with how they portray the handicapped characters, it seems a bit like they’re making fun of people in wheelchairs, like me.”

“Glee” consistently shows viewers that it’s harder socially to fit in if you’re in a wheelchair. On countless occasions with Kevin McHale, they make him feel like an outcast and he will never be able to fit in. They actually had an episode where they made his girlfriend ask Santa Claus to let McHale’s character be able to walk as a Christmas present, making it appear as if he cannot be the ideal boyfriend because he cannot walk.

And then to make matters worse, Quinn is now in a wheelchair because of a car accident. Dianna Agron’s character even stated she needs to get out of her wheelchair to make her dreams come true. So that means you can’t go to college if you’re in a wheelchair? Ridiculous.

Obviously, “Glee” creators have not learned their lesson. Maybe they should educate viewers more about being in wheelchairs and show less about how parts of society reject them socially. There is a person sitting in the chair too.

So what will be in store this season on “Glee” for Quinn? Is she going to wheel into a pool with Artie as well? They started with the ramp on Senior Day. Where to next?  I guess we’ll have to continue watching this season of “Glee” to see what other outrageous ideas spawn out of this as well.

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