Hollywood Inclusion Archives - Disability Belongs

still from Jack and the Beanstalk film on HBO Max with a group of disabled characters outside

Regan Linton’s Reimagining of Jack and the Beanstalk Illustrates How Subminimum Wage Remains a Barrier to Economic Independence

poster for Jack and the Beanstalk film on HBO Max with four stills of the film, the largest one showing a group of disabled characters outside Viewers may think they know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. However, writer/director Regan Linton has reimagined this classic tale in a new short film as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Reframed: Next Gen Narratives program. In this series, six filmmakers adapted classic movies through a contemporary lens, tackling modern-day issues surrounding identity.

Episode Three: Jack and the Beanstalk is about a young man named Jack (Josh Elledge), who is an employee at the Beanstalk Grocery. Jack is a subminimum wage worker being exploited by his employers. Despite being an excellent worker, beloved by his colleagues and customers and recommended for a promotion by his manager, Ellie (Valentina Fittipaldi), Jack is caught off guard when the regional manager, Marge (Hannah Duggan), tries to shut his progression down. Marge cunningly cites the company’s compliance with employment laws while evading the obvious exploitation of Jack.

“That really resonated for me in relation to our disability community, and the constant battles we are fighting to be able to live fully and productively,” director Regan Linton shared in an interview with Disability Belongs™. “So, I wanted our Jack to be someone who has a lot going on underneath the surface (which most of us do), and follows the rules (however absurd they may be) in order to influence and win. And when I thought about current metaphorical ‘giants’ our community faces, there are so many, but the inherently inequitable subminimum wage issue jumped out to me.” [continue reading…]

Film Reviews

the cast and crew of Sūnna smiling together on set

Radha Mehta’s “Sūnna:” A Resonant Exploration of Silence, Song, and Self

In Sūnna (Hindi for listen), Radha Mehta invites the audience into a contemplative and atmospheric film that recognizes sound and silence as forces that can shape identity and belonging. It follows Lakshmi, a young Indian girl who experiences sudden hearing loss just as she is about to perform a cherished religious song. The film deftly explores identity, familial love, and spiritual belonging.

“I like to have sound as its own character,” Mehta shared in an interview with Disability Belongs™, “because it’s very much been its own character in my life, throughout my entire life.”

“When that sound escaped me, I felt like I was losing parts of myself,” recalled Mehta, who is hard-of-hearing herself, describing the autobiographical roots of Lakshmi’s story. “Music was all around me, [it was] so entrenched within our home.” [continue reading…]

Film Reviews

Divas in the City Offers Window Into Lives of Five Disabled Black “Bosses”

headshots of the five black women with disabilities who are part of the series Divas in the City The new unscripted digital series Divas in the City follows five disabled Black women whose tenacity and creativity make them bosses in their respective cities. Professional and playful, serious and sassy, these women with physical disabilities are trendsetters in fields ranging from fashion to the arts to the nonprofit sector.

The series is the brainchild of the show’s executive producer, Dr. Donna Walton, founder/president of The Divas With Disabilities Project (DWD), a nonprofit that provides women and girls of color with physical disabilities with unique opportunities to shape how disability is portrayed in mass media.

“I was moved to create Divas in the City because representation matters—especially for Black women with disabilities,” Walton told Disability Belongs™. “Too often, our stories are left out of mainstream media, and when we do appear, it’s rarely in a way that reflects the full depth and richness of our lives. I wanted to change that.” [continue reading…]

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Season 3 Explores Life with a Prosthesis and Importance of Choice in Access Needs

Brooklyn looking at her prosthetic hand in a scene from Season 3 of Jurassic World Chaos Theory After Season 2 of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory explored how Brooklynn survived a dinosaur attack and was living as an amputee, Season 3 allows Brooklynn to explore using – and not using – a prosthesis.

The show handles Brooklynn’s disability brilliantly. She doesn’t need help, and she doesn’t need sympathy. She is completely capable of achieving her mission with or without the prosthetic arm. While it takes Brooklynn some time to get used to her prosthesis, she ultimately learns it is not required for her to be her full self, nor does it hinder her mission to take down Santos, the villain of the story.

“Getting a prosthesis is a personal decision that Brooklynn doesn’t get the chance to make when it’s given to her this season,” Kiersten Kelly (voice of Brooklyn) shared with Disability Belongs™. “Not knowing anything about prostheses, she’s pushed to adapt quickly and discovering ways the device can be useful to her and the different comments people give when wearing a prosthesis all while not knowing if she wants it. We see Brooklynn dealing with a lot of complex feelings, with the most important one being that she didn’t get to decide if it was right for her.” [continue reading…]

key art for Rising Phoenix with person in a wheelchair at the bottom of an escalator looking up towards the top

Sheridan O’Donnell Hopes His New Documentary Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution Will Start More Conversations Among Disabled and Non-Disabled Communities

“The biggest barrier to change is this tiny sliver of fear that people have surrounding disability, and I made this film to push people over that barrier.”

key art for Rising Phoenix with person in a wheelchair at the bottom of an escalator looking up towards the top The new documentary Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution grabs viewers’ attention from the opening, pulling both disabled and nondisabled audiences in to become immersed in a world full of authentic disability representation.

The film is directed by Sheridan O’Donnell, who was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease while having an active career as a filmmaker. This has slowly rendered him legally blind. Trying to navigate this new world of being disabled, O’Donnell seeks out accomplished disabled individuals from multiple sectors and walks of life, and highlights their struggles, and eventual achievements. The point of O’Donnell’s film is not to showcase these achievements in spite of disability; rather, he showcases these achievements in spite of the social perception, lack of access, and lack of understanding that too often befalls the disability community.

With a goal of redefining the world’s image of disability, the film features a variety of disabled individuals including actor Lauren Ridloff (Eternals), Paralympic Gold Medalists Ezra Frech (Track and Field) and Anastasia Pagonis (Swimming), filmmaker Jim LeBrecht (Crip Camp), MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemel (Q) Arroyo, Valuable 500 Founder Caroline Casey, and more. [continue reading…]

Jessy Yates and four of her co-stars on Pulse in character in the hospital in a scene from the show

Jessy Yates Talks PULSE and Authentic Representation with Disability Belongs™’ Entertainment and Media Fellow and Actor Aaron Potter

Netflix’s new medical drama PULSE takes the genre to a place that feels refreshing and exciting. Filled with an exceptionally talented ensemble cast of complex and endearing characters, PULSE takes viewers through an intertwining narrative that’ll have you reaching for the clicker to play the next episode the second the credits start rolling.

Viewers should prepare for an emotional ride through countless well-written story arcs, like the questionable behavior of Dr. Tom Cole (Jack Bannon), the weight of consequential decision making by head of surgery Dr. Natalie Cruz (Justina Machado), the unlikely friendship blossoming between Dr. Camila Perez (Daniela Nieves) and Dr. Sophie Chan (Chelsea Muirhead), and a good ol’ fashioned love triangle between Dr. Danielle Simms (Willa Fitzgerald), Dr. Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell), and Dr. Sam Elijah (Jessie T. Usher) that’ll leave viewers wanting more. [continue reading…]

still of Jeff Mouse from Donkey Hodie, a blue mouse puppet who uses a wheelchair. there are orange and yellow leaves in the background behind Jeff.

Finding What Matters in Donkey Hodie’s “Hee-Hee Hider Seekers:” A Conversation with Consultant Sam Krauss

Jeff Mouse

After hearing how excited Samuel Krauss was for people to meet Jeff Mouse, I went into this episode of Donkey Hodie with high expectations. Donkey Hodie is an Emmy^®-winning puppet series inspired by the funny, quirky side of Fred Rogers produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures for PBS KIDS. Knowing that Krauss, an alumnus of the 2022 Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab and the 2023 National Leadership Program, consulted on the episode gave me a lot of hope for the quality of disability representation, and I was not disappointed.

In this preschool series inspired by characters created by Fred Rogers, Donkey Hodie and her friends Bob Dog, Purple Panda, and Duck Duck empower kids to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives.

The show is introducing a new character – Jeff Mouse – in a new episode called “Hee-Hee Hider Seekers.” Jeff Mouse is an intrepid explorer and avid nature lover. He was born with congenital muscular dystrophy. Jeff is named in honor of Jeff Erlanger, a young guest who appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1981. In this episode, Jeff and Purple Panda both use accessibility tools to help them on their adventure. Jeff’s grabber and binoculars and Panda’s telescope are all shown as just part of how the characters experience the world. For young viewers, seeing such tools framed as everyday supports destigmatizes them and builds early disability awareness, acceptance, and advocacy. [continue reading…]

thumbnail for The Invalids with a person smiling in a laboratory environment

“The Invalids” Warns of the Consequences of Inspiration Porn

“These contestants inspire us not to take things for granted. So please, enjoy the show!”

“The Invalids” is a short film written, directed, and edited by Chrissy Marshall (2023 Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab alum) which threads the needle in depicting the exploitation of people with disabilities for a non-disabled audience while also centering disabled characters. Set in a dystopian future that combines the coercive game show elements of “Squid Game” with the unflinching contrast between the haves and have-nots of “The Hunger Games,” we follow Erin and Mira as they try to survive clinical trials. [continue reading…]

still from Do No Harm with a person with long red hair in the dark

“Do No Harm” Puts the Impact of Medical Neglect Front and Center

“If you do this, you’re just as bad as you think I am.”

“I’m worse.”

“Do No Harm,” directed by Aiden Keltner and starring creator, writer, and producer Fay Kanesvsky as Heather, highlights the damage caused by medical sexism, neglect, and ableism in just five minutes. Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab Alumna Liz Galalis was one of three writers who worked on the project. [continue reading…]

Still frame from Don't Take This The Wrong Way with Rachel Handler

“Don’t Take This the Wrong Way” Explores the Exhausting Narrative of Always Feeling “Wrong”

Microaggressions are unfortunately something many people are familiar with, the disability community included. Constantly navigating uncomfortable conversations with strangers, and sometimes even people close to us. But what happens when constant verbal combat becomes too much? “Don’t Take This the Wrong Way” explores this question, telling the story of how this emotional toll leads to unraveling for the main character, Darcy. [continue reading…]