"The SAG-AFTRA Merger and Performers-With-Disabilities" - Vince Staskel

Full DisclosureMay I first state that I am not a member of SAGAFTRA or any other union My perspective comes from producing and promoting performerswithdisabilities PWDs in the media I want to explore if and how this longtouted show business merger impacts disabled actors with employment opportunitiesWhere Are We On TVA recent study quotWhere Are We On TVquot conducted by GLADD Gay ampamp Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and I AM PWD Inclusion in Arts and Media for PerformersWithDisabilities found that less then 1 per cent or 5 series regulars are depicted as living with disabilities That is actually 1 less actor from the previous year There is a serious disconnect between the five onscreen performers and the US Census Bureau39s finding or 125 per cent of the population or 364 million citizens with disabilities in this countryI AM PWD CampaignThe I AM PWD Campaign is a triunion committee of SAGAFTRA and Actor39s Equity members whose mission is to create promote and advocate for more inclusive employment opportunities for performerswithdisabilities They certainly have their work cut out for them With such low representation on screen now any effort to improve this is most welcomedNew SAGAFTRA FactorsTwo new factors of the SAGAFTRA merger will certainly help improve these employment opportunities for all actorsThe first factor is although the membership dues may increase somewhat it will take less time to become a vested union member This means quicker access to health coverage as well as other union resources and benefits These are all positive additions for performerswithdisabilities especially those who may need to utilize healthcare services more frequentlyThe second factor is a true union commitment to include more roles being made available to actors with disabilities There is no reason why a role such as a teacher attorney neighbor or family member can not go to someone with a visible disability After all we do exist in these real life roles already This commitment resulted from all three unions recognizing the disparity in just five disabled portrayals against the country39s total 364 million disabled population The I AM PWD Campaign is the launching pad these unions created for more on screen inclusion Ultimately increase understanding and awareness of the disabled community This is working for other groups in the study and it will work for our disability groupA History of Improving OnScreen RepresentationIn 2005 SAG39s initial study quotThe Employment of Performers with Disabilities in the Entertainment Industryquot showed that 20 per cent of all Americans or 54 million people have disabilities Yet there were only a scant 2 per cent of TV Show characters displaying a disability Of these 2 per cent only 05 are speaking roles This is certainly a low representation rate by anyone39s statisticsIn the seven years following the 2005 SAG Study the acting opportunities for disabled performers remains stagnant at best This is fertile ground for our inclusion efforts which must mirror the broader understanding and awareness of persons with disabilities in the communityGoing In the Right DirectionSAG now SAGAFTRA is to be commended for their focus on hiring PWDs since the 198039s These efforts as well as their own member39s advocacy in bringing national attention to this low onscreen representation rate in Hollywood serve as a solid foundation for growing inclusion opportunities for PWDsA Brighter FutureI most certainly see an increasing presence of PWDs on entertainment venues today It is up to all of us to continue promoting ourselves out colleagues and our supporters to build a very aware and thoroughly entertained national audienceVince Staskel MS is a retired Legal Rights Advocate and Consultant His thirtytwo year career has included working on IDEA ADA SSA Claimant Legal Representation and Media Arts Inclusion in the notforprofit business and governmental sectors He is presently very active in the promotion of performerswithdisabilities in the entertainment industry Vince can be reached at vin3averizonnetRead all Vince39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at MediAbilityCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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"The SAG-AFTRA Merger and Performers-With-Disabilities" - Vince Staskel

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