Hollywood Inclusion

The short film POSSUM by Sophie Sagan-Gutherz, directed and co-written by Daisy Rosato, is a satirical horror about five young adults at an artist retreat. Going into this film, I had no idea what to expect, but I found it to be a creative and unique visualization of how people figure out their true beliefs and the impact this process can have on the people around them.

The five characters—Hadley, Blaze, Annabella, Pinecone, and Tilly—play a game at the beginning of the movie called “Werewolf.” In this game, one person is the werewolf, one is the seer, one is the victim, and the rest are the townsfolk. What I found interesting about this scene is how it foreshadows the larger themes of the movie, suggesting that anyone could be the killer just as easily as they could be the victim. [continue reading…]

Nora Onanian

This past spring, like a game of telephone, my exciting news that I would be able to attend the 2024 Paris Paralympics spread, and was, well… misconstrued. On more than one occasion, I got a text from a friend of my grandma’s, or a peer at school, where the person wished me well in my “big swimming competition.” Either my 90-pound, scrawny physique gives off that of an Olympic athlete, or, many people are unfamiliar with how big of a deal it is to qualify for the Paralympics. The athletic competition is on a global stage, with—not some of, but—the most talented athletes of our time.  

While my once a week swim practice through Adaptive Sports New England is something I enjoy, and take moderately seriously, it is certainly not enough training for an athletic career of Paralympic heights. What those Sunday mornings spent in the pool did do for me, however, was provide an interesting perspective on how the public engages with para-athletes and disability more broadly.

The first swimming competition I entered as an amputee was last March. Organized through Move United—an affiliate of the Paralympic Games—, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I don’t think I’ve been in the same room with as many fellow disability community folk, let alone been treated so “normally” (in my opinion, there is no such thing as “normal”) despite my body moving differently than people are used to. Seriously, not a single person batted an eye at my scars, limb difference or anything else I would normally mentally prepare myself for when getting on the diving board at my high school swim meets, or entering any room full of able-bodied people. [continue reading…]

Read the Report

A new report shows that films continue to lack disabled characters. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report, “Inequality in 1,700 Popular Films,” found that just 2.2% of all speaking characters in the top 100 films of 2023 were shown with a disability, which is virtually identical to both 2022 (1.9%) and 2015 (2.4%). According to the report, “each year, the numbers prove stubbornly resistant to change.”

Furthermore, of the top 100 films of 2023, 42 films did not feature even one character with a disability. This is lower than 2022 (54) but similar to 2015 (45). Only one out of the 100 films examined portrayed disabled characters at proportional representation within the U.S. population (27.2%). The only other year to include a film with proportional representation since 2015 was in 2021. [continue reading…]

60 Miles North is a coming-of-age feature film about Clarence Moran (Edward Crawford), who is at the crossroads in his career, and Wild Falls (Audrey Kovar), a woman battling a medical illness and doctors who do not believe her symptoms. Although both Moran and Falls are facing different problems, they find solace and support from each to get back up and find a solution to their issues.

The film dives deep into the complexities of chasing dreams, confronting setbacks, and the transformative power of unexpected connections as well as the challenges some patients face when dealing with doctors who are on a power trip or have a god complex, and refuse to listen to their patients until something terrible happens. [continue reading…]

All aspects of the concert-going experience, from purchasing a ticket to attending the show, can be difficult for a disabled guest. During my time in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program, through extensive research and open conversations with organizations and venues, I have learned it is possible to have a well-rounded concert experience as a disabled guest with the right accommodations in place.

The Challenges

In the past, I have been a verified fan through Ticketmaster, which qualified me for presale. However, wheelchair-accessible seats were not available on Ticketmaster at the time. This required me to contact the venue directly to purchase the seats, but the venue was not offering the seats until general on-sale. This created a barrier in the process since it did not allow me to utilize my presale status. I have also had barriers when trying to purchase my companion tickets in the same section as me. The Americans with Disabilities Act states up to three companion seats may be purchased, and that these seats must be near the accessible seats. But most venues only allow one companion to be purchased with a wheelchair seat. This can be limiting to the disabled patron when traveling with family and friends, and it is frustrating because non-disabled customers can experience the concert with as many friends as they’d like. [continue reading…]

Read the full report

For the first time, there is a large-scale report providing quantifiable data regarding the lack of accessibility at film festivals for disabled filmmakers and attendees. The Film Event Accessibility Scorecard is a virtual questionnaire form containing 70 questions that touch upon event attendance experience and recommendations. Between July 22, 2022 and November 20, 2023, 353 respondents provided feedback on 75 film festivals and film events internationally.

A big takeaway from the impact report: 73% of disabled respondents experienced some form of inaccessibility in the attendee experience and 93% of festivals received a below the median score. This included lack of accessible seating, volunteers being untrained on access features, the lack of functional assistive listening devices, and panels not being moderated accessibly. For example, 77% responded “somewhat disagree” or “disagree” to the question: “Live captions were available for the panels and Q&As (in-person).” [continue reading…]

Disabled film actors have gained some ground in employment from 2022 to 2023 but remain severely underrepresented in front of the camera among the top films of 2023. Looking at two different UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report studies released in March and May of this year, just 7.1% of theatrical film actors and 4.7% of streaming film actors have a disability. This is in comparison to 26% of the U.S. population.

This is the second year that the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report tracks the known disability status of actors. This followed numerous disability organizations, including RespectAbility and FWD-Doc, lobbying for disability inclusion.

The report acknowledges it was able to include disability status due to new sources of data, including Nielsen-owned Gracenote’s Studio System, which began tracking on-screen disability representation as part of its inclusion data in 2022, with the assistance of RespectAbility. [continue reading…]

“You shine, just as you are.”

The penultimate song in Netflix’s new animated family film Thelma the Unicorn provides an anthem for the theme of the film. For children watching who have been told they are not good enough because they “don’t look the part,” Thelma (voiced by Brittany Howard) shows them that you can be true to yourself and succeed. However, Thelma needs to lose herself first to learn this important lesson.

Thelma is a pony who dreams of sharing her songs with the world. It is not until an accident that causes her to look like a unicorn that the industry begins to pay attention to her. However, Thelma ultimately betrays herself and those who truly know her. Her path leads to her having a fake boyfriend for publicity and performing AI-generated songs. [continue reading…]

Lab alumni Nasreen Alkhateeb (2019, Cinematography), April Caputi (2019, Casting), Annie Hayes (2023, TV Writer), and Chrissy Marshall (2023, Writer / Director) shared their industry experiences and offered advice to the 2024 virtual cohort of the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab.

A major component of the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab includes building a community of disabled creatives. One way that RespectAbility achieves this is by inviting alumni to return to share about their experiences – both during and following the Lab – to offer advice to the new cohort.

During an orientation for the 2024 Virtual Cohort, four alumni shared that the Lab goes beyond gaining experience in their area of interest. A common theme emerged among the panelists as many shared how their time during the Lab impacted their perception of disability, including their own. [continue reading…]