As award season comes to an end, we look back at the nominees and winners and see some historical nominations for people with disabilities. Jeremiah Daniels was the first young man with Downs Syndrome to be nominated for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) outstanding performance by a youth in a motion picture. His role in the movie Color Book, gave insight into the experiences of raising a child with Downs syndrome. While Jeremiah did not win, his nomination and role in this movie was historic. We also saw Marissa Bode become the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose Thropp in Wicked. Marissa was nominated alongside her fellow Wicked cast members for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She also became the first wheelchair user to be nominated in any category for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, which was founded in 1995. Adam Pearson, a British actor and disability rights activist, starred in A Different Man. This movie follows an actor that undergoes a radical medical procedure to transform his appearance. Adam Pearson has neurofibromatosis type 1, a rare genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on the skin. He was nominated for many local supporting actor awards across the US, and the National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor.
While we saw major steps forward for representation in film and TV this award season, we still have a long way to go for disability representation. We continue to see stories that include people with disabilities that focus on “fixing” them or portray them as the villain. It is extremely important that we see roles that allow people with disabilities to break stereotypes and not re-enforce them. There are some organizations working towards more representation in front of and behind the camera. Keely Cat-Wells, who is a disability rights activist is the founder of Making Space and C-Talent. These are organizations that connect hiring officials with actors and artists with disabilities. Another organization, the Inevitable Foundation, is dedicated to making Hollywood a disability-forward industry. They provide opportunities for film and TV writers with disabilities to participate in Fellowships and get funding to pursue creative projects. They also do advocacy work, provide emergency funds for creative individuals with disabilities, and do research on disability representation.
While the ADA does not discuss representation, it does act as a foundation to empower individuals with disabilities to seek accommodations and challenge discrimination. The organizations working towards more representation of disabilities in Hollywood are supporting individuals in a very challenging industry. We continue to see a better understanding of representation and the rights that individuals have under the ADA. If you are curious about other famous folks with disabilities, you can check out our previous blog post!