From AmericanChronicle.com:

Gail Williamson, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, is helping to open doors for her son Blair and other performers with disabilities. She says television and film provide important opportunities for promoting awareness and acceptance of disabilities, but the industry has a long way to go. A united, cross-disability advocacy effort might bring faster results, she says.

“Within the industry, we’re watching more gay and lesbian characters, Hispanic, African American, and yet there is no show that offers a beneficial perception of people with disabilities. We are grateful to GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for fighting for fair, accurate and inclusive representation. We are following in their footsteps, because they have been able to make great strides in representation. There are studio executive who are gay and lesbian and understand. Comedies such as ‘Will & Grace’ win over hearts. But, there are only a few executives who are disabled and when I’ve contacted specific TV shows that are comedies, they have said ‘No.’

“Why not have a regular performer with a disability on ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’ or ‘Hannah Montana?’” Williamson asked. “Executives ask, ‘How will it work?’ They think viewers won’t connect. They’re looking for money, we’re looking for advocacy and employment, so we have two different agendas. What the studios don’t recognize is that there is an un-tapped group of consumers with disabilities and their friends and families who would embrace inclusion in the media.”

Williamson reserves special praise for directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who have included people with disabilities in many films including “The Ringer.” Her son Blair has appeared on “ER,” “Heartland,” and “The Guardian.” He’s also portrayed a murder victim on “CSI,” had a nose job on “Nip/Tuck,” and appeared as a janitor in the film “Unknown.”

Gail Williamson’s Down Syndrome in Arts and Media website connects casting directors with people who have developmental disabilities.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 9:49 am and is filed under arts/music, Down syndrome, humor, movies, NOT2BEMISSED. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.