Hollywood Inclusion

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…]

By Maureen McEly, RespectAbility Entertainment Lab Alum

Maureen McEly on the set of her short film Golden Hour

When I became disabled in 2020, I dealt with a strange side effect: my ambition increased. Previously, I’d been content as a writer, but suddenly, despite struggling to adjust to my new physical limitations, I grew obsessed with the idea of telling my own stories every step of the way, and I decided I wanted to become a director as well. However, living with a neuromuscular disease that causes strength and stamina issues as well as muscle weakness and fatigue, I found myself intimidated by the physical aspect of directing and I feared this new dream of mine might be out of reach. But when I was selected for the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab, I encountered other disabled creatives carving out a path in filmmaking with disability accommodations at the very center of their work. I was so inspired, I took the leap and directed my first short film, Golden Hour, which was completed earlier this year. As I reflect on the film and the filmmaking experience, while going through the process of submitting to festivals, I thought it might be helpful to share what I learned writing, directing, and producing my first short film with a disability, in hopes it might be useful for other aspiring disabled directors. [continue reading…]

Principal Matters, a short film directed and produced by F. Carl Hansen and written by Natalie D’Alicio, follows the story of two high school teachers, Lydia, played by RespectAbility Entertainment Lab Alumna and an associate producer of the film Diana Elizabeth Jordan, and Sofia, played by D’Alicio, who are trying to fight back against their awful and egotistical boss, Principal Nelson (Michael Charles Vaccaro), after he cuts funding to the school’s art and music program.

In the film, viewers learn that Sofia is losing her job next year because the newly appointed Principal Nelson, a job that should have gone to Lydia if the board weren’t sexist, has cut funding for the arts and music program. After Lydia also loses the vice principal position to Brandon Collins, a guy that thought school ended at twelve according to Sofia, Lydia and Sofia plan to sabotage Nelson in order to get him fired. With the help of the other faculty and someone who dated Nelson, they scope out dirt on Nelson, so they can save the school and their jobs. [continue reading…]

Open to Interpretation is a delightful five-minute dark comedy sketch that introduces us to Jeremy Stone, a Black Deaf comedian played by Harold Foxx, and his amusing interactions with his ASL interpreter. The film sheds light on the challenges of communication within the deaf community, skillfully weaving humor and insight into its narrative.

One memorable scene captures the awkwardness of miscommunication when a character unintentionally spits in Jeremy’s face while shouting to communicate to Jeremy, highlighting the everyday struggles faced by Deaf individuals. Jeremy’s initial banter with his interpreter Kyle (Zachary Goldstein) adds a touch of humor as he playfully expresses his preference to his manager (Emma, played by Chrissy Marshall) for a Black interpreter for better relatability. [continue reading…]