Throughout history, people with disabilities have often been viewed in the context of their limitations. The disability rights movement, which began in the 1960s, worked to change societal perceptions to view disabled people through their abilities. Positive messages about individual abilities have begun to permeate our media, including a changing view of how we view disability in general. Using compelling personal anecdotes and scientific information to back them up, This American Life's 2015 podcast "Batman" seeks to prove that disability is a social construct because a person's abilities are directly influenced by those who help them. 'surround. The podcast opens with an anecdote that, at first glance, seems unrelated to the main theme of disability as a social construct. The authors detail a scientific experiment in which rats are trained to navigate a maze. However, through careful analysis, it becomes clear that the rat training example is actually the same argument as the rest of the podcast, just from a different angle. Robert Rosenthal, a research psychologist at the University of California Riverside, was featured on the podcast to present his experience. He explained the scientific process by which he and his team divided a group of identical rats into two groups and labeled one as "smart" and the other as "stupid." He then asked experimenters to run the rats through a maze and record their times. During the experiment, he found that rats labeled "smart" consistently ran faster through the maze, even though they were originally identical. Through this opening vignette, the authors prepare the audience for the message of the rest of the podcast. The rats example in middle of paper......studies they incorporated into the podcast, the research and researchers were simply accepted as fact, without any discussion of the limitations or credibility of the information. These limitations were compounded by the fact that there were no sources cited at the end of the podcast, which would have allowed a careful listener to check their sources if they wished. Through the ideas presented in this podcast, it is clear that positive messages surrounding disability are presented in the media. This podcast aimed to convince its listeners that disability is a social construct and it does so effectively through the use of personal anecdotes and accessible scientific facts. By viewing people in light of their abilities rather than their limitations, this podcast presents a positive step towards a positive view of people with disabilities as a society..