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Disabled Comedians Speak Out on Performance and Career Barriers Due To Widespread Industry Inaccessibility: ‘I Want There to Be More of Us’
Steve Way, Maysoon Zayid and more disabled comedians speak out on industry inaccessibility and hopes for systematic change.
There’s a slightly larger number, but still plenty of places inaccessible for an audience member to watch the show,” says Dan Hurwitz, co-founder of the Seattle-based comedian collective The Disabled List and a stand-up missing digits from his hands and feet. Pavar Snipe, voice actress, host of the “It’s Not Even Like That” podcast and a comedian with rheumatoid arthritis says the first time she saw fellow stand-up Mike Favor in New York while scouting for the ReelAbilities Comedy Night, “the stage didn’t allow for his wheelchair to face forward. There are more accessible options like Broadway and The Kennedy Center, but unlike dedicated comedy venues — physically inclusive to nondisabled acts at generally no cost to perform — these spaces can have a price tag of $20,000 per evening, forcing disabled comedians to “pay to play,” says Zayid.
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