Fellows Blog Series

Winner of the 2017 Casting Society of America Award, Media Access Awards

Telsey & Company accepting casting award at the Media Access Awards

Beverly Hills, Nov. 18 – Called “champions of casting people with disabilities in Broadway shows and television programs” by presenter Michael Patrick King, Telsey & Company received an award for their inclusive casting at the Media Access Awards, which honors individuals who are showcasing the disability narrative and are doing diversity right.

“It’s important to include stories of inclusion for all people,” the team accepting the award said. “When we open up a script and see a story includes people with disabilities, we get really excited … because we love to explore new pools of talent and learn about new opportunities we may not have experienced.”

They casted Atypical, whose creator also was honored at the Media Access Awards, and Love You More, a show featuring nine actors with Down syndrome.

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Michael Patrick King presenting a casting award at the Media Access Awards

Beverly Hills, Nov. 18 – Emmy-winner Michael Patrick King of Sex and the City and the new disability-inclusive Love You More presented an award during the 2017 Media Access Awards, which honors individuals who are showcasing the disability narrative and are doing diversity right.

King presented the 2017 Casting Society of America Award to Telsey & Company, calling them “champions of casting people with disabilities in Broadway shows and television programs.” Telsey & Company is an award-winning organization of casting professionals in New York City and Los Angeles, with local, regional, national, and international clientele,

King has been directing, writing and producing entertainment for more than four decades. His career kicked off in 1975 when he began performing with a comedy improv troop in New York City. Since then, he has written Will and Grace, served as the showrunner for Sex and the City and has been a part of countless other television series. King is known for being the brain behind norm-bending television.

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Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 7 – For children with disabilities, early intervention provides a stronger foundation on which motor, social and academic skills can be strengthened. The Stramski Children’s Development Center offers therapy and support to assist children with disabilities, helping them get a head start and keep up with their peers as they grow older, increasing their opportunities and competencies.

The Stramski Center is headed by its Director, Dr. Gary Feldman. It was founded in 1975 by Dr. Geraldine A. Stramski, first called the Children’s Memorial Hospital Auxiliary before being renamed in 1991. Since then, the center has expanded its programs into many disciplines. They serve the children of the Long Beach area with any neurodevelopmental, genetic, craniofacial or psychological issues as well as those with sleep disorders. Stramski also supports families looking to adopt internationally.

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Rockville, Md., Oct. 28 – This week on This Is Us, Kevin (Justin Hartley) has a drug misuse disorder; he is living with an addiction to pills. The audience watches as Kevin is trying to recover from his knee surgery in order to ensure an immediate and speedy return to his role on the movie set. The doctor prescribes Vicodin to manage Kevin’s pain. The first fill of the prescription quickly becomes a refill and then another until finally the doctor refuses to give Kevin access to any more pills.

In this episode, the audience witnesses the effects that the misuse disorder can have on the user and his or her relationships. Kevin becomes disengaged and solely focused on finding more medication while his relationship with his girlfriend begins to spiral downward. While she is a doctor, she does not know he has become addicted.

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Washington, D.C., Oct. 27 – “I woke up in the morning to my wife screaming, ‘Thad, wake up! Thad, wake up!’” said Todd Burke, father of then 22-year-old Thad Burke. The grieving father spoke with a shaky voice through tears to an audience of journalists and advocates live on stage at The Washington Post’s panel on ‘Addiction In America: A Nation Responds’ last week.

Clutched in his hands a tin can of what formerly held protein powder that now held his son’s ashes, Burke shared his story.

Thadeus A. Burke died on Oct. 2, 2016. He was addicted to opioids and overdosed on heroin. He was one of the “estimated 62,000 people who died of a drug overdose in 2016,” according to Lenny Bernstein, a Health and Medicine reporter for The Washington Post.

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Rockville, Md., Oct. 25 – IBM always has been inclusive of the disability community ever since they first hired a person with a disability in 1914. Since then, the company has taken numerous steps and created various programs to ensure that people with disabilities are well accommodated for within their organization and that their consumers with disabilities are provided with accessible and sound products.

More than 25 years ago, Yves Veulliet, a wheelchair user, started as an entry-level administrative assistant at IBM.

“IBM already had very high accessibility standards back then and I could work without any obstacles,” he said. “All my colleagues could interact with me easily and I felt completely autonomous.”

In 2005 he was promoted to Global Disability & Inclusion Manager. “To me, it was a way of paying back IBM for all they allowed me to be and become in my professional path.”

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Rockville, Md., Oct. 23 – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW just entered its third season. This season follows the main character, Rebecca Bunch, as she copes with being left at the altar when her fiancé suddenly decided to join the priesthood.

Writer, producer and actress Rachel Bloom says of her character, “She is going into this season saying, ‘I am a sexy, strong woman scorned.’”

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Rockville, Md., Oct. 23 – Television series by Dan Fogelman, This Is Us, is unraveling the stigma around anxiety, addressing physical health and alluding to an upcoming plot-line with a heavy focus on addiction.

Not only is the show written in a way that people can connect with but it also is subliminally inviting the everyday viewer to join the conversation about the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Spoilers ahead.

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Rockville, Md., Oct. 23 – Speechless had two important teachable lessons in this week’s episode. This episode highlighted the importance of being an aide to a child with a disability and the value of parents letting their children try new things before deciding if they can or cannot do it.

J.J.’s mother Maya took on the task of training underachiever teachers at the school to become aides for new students with disabilities. At first it seems like the aides were not very interested in learning, so Maya decided to make them quit, which would allow the district to hire qualified aides. However, Kenneth secretly gave them advice and told them not to quit, and they prove themselves worthy of the position.

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