Hollywood Inclusion

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…]

“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…]

“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…]

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…]

Have you ever had one of those moments where you are not sure if you are dreaming, or worse – having a nightmare? That queasy uncertainty pervades within the short film, “Nightmare,” directed by Zach Damon. In five suspenseful minutes, Damon pulls viewers into a creepy realm where folklore, fear, and reality are mixed. [continue reading…]

Watching “Forward Thinking” feels like peering into an off-kilter, adjacent reality.

The film opens on a crowded bulletin board, with a tan-colored flyer sitting front and center of the frame. The flyer, written using friendly Comic Sans, is titled “Coffee with Cops,” and offers the chance to meet with officers at a local park “at 2 p.m. this Friday.” It features photos of two smiling white cops – one woman, one man – with speech bubbles hanging over each of their heads. The former’s reads: “We don’t all have domestic assault allegations;” the latter’s “Grab a cup o’ joe with the guy that put away your favorite schmo!”

Cut to James, a black man, looking at the flyer with an expression that shifts between surprised and perplexed. [continue reading…]

In the short film “At See,” Director Serena Dykman offers a glimpse into inclusion by taking viewers aboard an All Paws on Deck cruise to the Dominican Republic with more than 50 guide dogs and their partners. This opportunity was organized by the non-profit organization, All Paws On Deck, to provide an independent cruise experience for blind and partially sighted people with their guide dogs to enjoy.

As the first documentary to feature Open Audio Description as part of its storytelling, “At See” opens by introducing viewers to an audio description narrator, Nefertiti Matos Olivares, a blind Latina woman. Upbeat Latin dance music sets the scene as the short transitions from meeting Olivares to a cruise ship sailing the ocean before transitioning to focusing on the dogs. [continue reading…]

In the new short film “BABKA,” Director Serena Dykman presents a narrative that weaves together themes of identity, culture, and passion. The film centers on Moishe, a blind Orthodox Jewish baker who lives in the heart of Hasidic Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After recently losing his sight, Moishe is learning to navigate a new way of life as he re-opens his community’s beloved bakery. With the help of Jesus, a service dog trainer, Moishe adjusts to using his new guide dog, Bear.

The film explores the complexities that Moishe faces with his new disability in the tension between his personal needs and the religious culture of his tight-knit Orthodox community. Since the customs of Moishe’s community do not permit owning a dog, it creates conflict as he strives to return to his love of baking for his community while balancing the cultural and religious pressures around him. [continue reading…]

Film Takes Home Two Slamdance Awards, Underscoring Relevance of Film Today

Cameron S. Mitchell’s documentary feature Disposable Humanity premiered during the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles. This film took home the 2025 Slamdance Unstoppable Feature Honorable Mention as well as a 2025 Audience Award, voted on by Slamdance attendees, underscoring the relevance of the film today.

Disposable Humanity examines the Nazi-run Aktion T4 program, which began in 1939. By 1945, Nazis had murdered more than 300,000 disabled people. [continue reading…]