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Born This Way #BTWChat

Featuring Megan Bomgaars, Born This Way cast member and owner of @Megologycom!

Hosted by Lauren Appelbaum and Cara Liebowitz of RespectAbility, this Twitter chat will take a look at ideas explored in Born This Way by the young adults with Down syndrome and their parents. Following this chat, join us in live tweeting the first episode of the second season, airing on A&E at 10/9c.

Image shows smiling faces of the seven cast members with the following text at the bottom: Born This Way - new season July 26 - A&ETuesday, July 26, 2016, 9:00-10:00 pm ET

Don’t have cable? You can livestream the show on A&E’s app.

You can find the questions for this chat in this post.

How to Participate

  • When the chat begins, search #BTWchat on Twitter for a series of live tweets: https://twitter.com/hashtag/btwchat?f=tweets&vertical=default
  • Follow @Respect_Ability, @Megologycom, @LaurenAppelbaum & @spazgirl11 on Twitter.
  • Use the hashtag #BTWchat when you tweet.
  • Check out this explanation of how to participate in a chat by Ruti Regan: https://storify.com/RutiRegan/examplechat

Introductory Tweets for 7/26 Twitter Chat

  • #BornThisWay starts tonight on @AETV. Don’t miss these incredible stories tonight at 10/9c. https://youtu.be/W1QRQCd_BAU
  • Welcome to our Twitter chat. Please remember to use the #BTWchat and #BornThisWay hashtags when you tweet.
  • If you respond to a question such as Q1, your tweet should follow this format: “A1 [your message] #BTWchat”
  • When we say PwDs or disability, we’re talking about all types of disability. Feel free to speak about specific communities #BTWchat
  • For each domain, we’ll ask for your views, stories, potential solutions, recommendations #BTWchat

Questions for 7/26/16 #BornThisWay Chat

  • Q1 How does seeing people on TV with disabilities like #BornThisWay make you feel about your own disability? #BTWchat
  • Q2 Do you think any stigma or perceptions about disabilities have changed as a result of watching #BornThisWay? #BTWchat
  • Q3 Do you think seeing people with disabilities on TV like #BornThisWay will become more common in the future? #BTWchat
  • Q4 Many cultures are represented in #BornThisWay. Do you think disability is viewed differently across different cultures? #BTWchat
  • Q5 What advice would you give to a future parent expecting a child with Down syndrome? #BornThisWay #BTWchat
  • Q6 In this season of #BornThisWay, several cast members start living independently. What advice do you have for them? #BTWchat
  • Q7 One issue some struggle with in #BornThisWay is finding a job or starting own business. Why is it harder for PwD to find jobs? #BTWchat
  • Q8 What types of shows, besides reality shows like #BornThisWay, do you want to see people with disabilities represented in? #BTWchat
  • Q9 #BornThisWay cast members are dating & want to marry. What relationship challenges exist for people with intellectual disabilities? #BTWchat
  • Q10 Several #BornThisWay cast members also want babies. What struggles do PwDs face when it comes to this? #BTWchat
  • This ends our #BTWchat chat. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Now let’s watch #BornThisWay!
  • Please feel free to continue the convo & livetweet the episode using #BornThisWay!
  • Let us know what you think is most surprising moment of the episode! What was the most powerful moment? #BTWchat

Meet the Author

Lauren Appelbaum

Lauren Appelbaum is the VP, Communications and Entertainment & News Media, of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so all people with disabilities can fully participate in every aspect of community. As an individual with an acquired nonvisible disability – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – she works at the intersection of disability, employment, Hollywood and politics. She regularly conducts trainings on the why and how to be more inclusive and accessible for entertainment executives throughout the industry. Appelbaum partners with studios, production companies and writers’ rooms to create equitable and accessible opportunities to increase the number of people with lived disability experience throughout the overall story-telling process. These initiatives increase diverse and authentic representation of disabled people on screen, leading to systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities. She has consulted on more than 100 TV episodes and films with A&E, Bunim-Murray Productions, NBCUniversal, Netflix, ViacomCBS, and The Walt Disney Company, among others. She represents RespectAbility on the CAA Full Story Initiative Advisory Council, Disney+ Content Advisory Council, MTV Entertainment Group Culture Code and Sundance Institute’s Allied Organization Initiative. She is the author of The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit and the creator of an innovative Lab Program for entertainment professionals with disabilities working in development, production and post-production. She is a recipient of the 2020 Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award for this Lab. To reach her, email LaurenA@RespectAbility.org.

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