A collective groan could be heard across the world throughout the pandemic. COVID disrupted everyone’s lives and intensified inequalities. Among those hit hardest by the disease are people with disabilities, who are more likely to live in poverty and, for some, on the streets. Filmed at the height of the pandemic, Yaz Canli’s directorial debut [click to continue...]
CW: suicide, depression Directed by Nicole Melillo, the fantasy short The Cab took home the Jury Award for Best Short Film at the 2023 Bentonville Film Festival. With its fresh take on mental health, the short film’s praise is well-deserved. The Cab follows a young woman with depression through a fantastical ride in a New [click to continue...]
If you knew your baby had a disability, would you still keep it? Two students from my church fellowship debated this question, as I sat quietly between them. My body tensed up, preparing for their answers. No… I don’t think I would. I would want my child to be healthy and happy. Well, if God [click to continue...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUeAJsq55M If you’re looking for a breather in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, go watch “Dinner for Six.” Directed, written, produced, and edited by Emily Kranking, the spunky comedy tells the story of an overprotective family spying on their disabled daughter Zoey’s (Emily Kranking) first date with Chris (Richie Dobson). Founded by Nic Novicki, the [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, March 15 – With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S., the lack of representation – less than one percent in children’s television – means that millions of children are unable to see themselves in media today. Furthermore, when representation exists, a great deal of disability representation on screen is of white males. Disney [click to continue...]
Filmmaker, screenwriter, activist, community organizer, volunteer, trailblazer. Tameka Citchen-Spruce (she/her) has accomplished a lot in her 15+ years of disability advocacy—and she shows no signs of slowing down. Born in Detroit and raised in Oak Park, MI, Tameka got into a car accident at six months old that left her paralyzed from the mid-chest down, [click to continue...]
Elizabeth Kim graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pennsylvania, where she developed her passion for deaf/disability advocacy. She helped start The Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI).
Washington, D.C., Feb 3 – In her film Slow, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Festival, writer/director Marija Kavtaradze offers a tender study of two messy people’s humanity. Contemporary dancer Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) meets Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), who’s assigned to interpret for her class of deaf youth. As their connection deepens, Dovydas discloses that he’s [click to continue...]
Washington, D.C., Jan. 26 – Until their child is born, most parents wait in anticipation. They pick out baby names, scour parenting books, and dream about what kind of person their child will become. But what happens when expectation doesn’t meet reality? Marlee Matlin’s directorial debut “Ava’s Story,” the second episode of crime drama Accused, [click to continue...]
