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Actors and Producers Talk Strategies for ‘Authentic’ Representations of the Disabled at TV Academy Event: ‘Inclusion is a Choice’
Disabled actors and other Industry insiders discusssed the importance of 'authentic' representation in TV on Thursday a Television Academy event.
When discussing the industry-wide changes needed for television to more authentically capture the lived experiences of disabled people, actor Eileen Grubba passionately implored the industry to end what she described as the tokenization of the community. “The industry has got to stop saying, ‘OK, let me go find some kid that’s cute that’s in a wheelchair and give them a series.’ That is soul-crushing to the people who’ve been fighting for decades to make a living,” said the “New Amsterdam” actor, who has faced disabilities since the age of 5. Karen Horne, an event diversity, equity and inclusion expert, moderated the free, open-to-the-public event, whose panelists included actor and neurodiverse director Sue Ann Pien(“As We See It”), writer and producer David Renaud(“The Good Doctor”), actress, writer and producer Grubba (“New Amsterdam”), Lauren Applebaum, senior VP, entertainment and news media, RespectAbility and Tari Hartman Squire, CEO, EIN SOF Communications, Inc. — all of whom “are driving disability inclusion, both on and offscreen, within the television industry.”
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