'Ed' and Mitchell fight stereotyping

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell has been battling and breaking stereotypes all his life. It's just that, for the past couple of years, he's been taking on the stereotyping that accompanies people confined to wheelchairs.

A co-star on the sitcoms "Veronica's Closet" and "The John Larroquette Show," Mitchell joined the cast of "Ed" (7 p.m., Ch. 5) last season — his first acting job since he was paralyzed in a November 2001 motorcycle accident. And there are still some people who can't quite believe he's not just acting.

"People say, 'Yo, man, this ain't permanent, is it?' " Mitchell said with a laugh. "I'm like, 'Well, I hope not.' "

Mitchell's character on "Ed," bowling-alley manager Eli, has never fit the stereotype of paraplegics. He's tough, he's got an attitude, he's anything but a victim.

"We don't pamper this character. He's got to go to work like everybody else. He's still got a smart mouth. . . . That was my main thing," Mitchell said. "If I can't do something and be funny in it, then I don't want to do it.

"A lot of times, when people see a wheelchairs they associate it with retardation. . . . They think you have some type of deformity or you're supposed to wear a certain type of clothes or shoes. But everything about me is current and up-to-date. I'm not changing my style."

Dealing with being stereotyped isn't new to Mitchell. "It's the same thing with color. People perceive you when you wear certain things that you're a thug or a gang-banger."

Which is why he's been so overwhelmed with the reception he's gotten from the cast and crew of "Ed."

"You talk about love and support and patience and courtesy, it's incredible," he said. "That's why I know people can do it. This right here even gives me a whole 'nother outlook as far as race relations. It can be done."

Getting back to work helped his recovery and changed his outlook, something he'd like to see others experience.

"If people can find it in their heart to give them support to continue doing what they do, just imagine how many lives would be saved," he said.

"Ed" is breaking ground again by giving Eli a girlfriend — and dealing with the issue of a paralyzed person getting involved in an intimate relationship.