Variety: Hollywood, aiming for more diversity, hopes inclusion riders will help broaden the composition of behind-the-camera crews. But so far, people with disabilities — who comprise nearly 20% of the population — have been left out of the conversation.
7 comments:
This article brings up a very important point about understanding what inclusion truly means and how the entertainment industry still has more progress to be made both on the screen and stage, as well as behind the spotlight. One of the most appealing parts of doing technical theatre for me is that being capable of doing the job at hand and being capable of doing it well is the primary factor in finding work. Factors like looks and height that matter more for actors aren’t as relevant in technical theatre, so it opens the opportunity for us to lead the way in being inclusive to individuals with disabilities. Yet I haven’t seen this kind of inclusion in the technical teams I have been a part of. I do like to believe that the great majority of those employed in the theatrical field make great efforts to be aware and inclusive in both their workplaces and their lives, yet people with disabilities aren’t often the ones I hear people talking about including. The article provides examples of very successful situations and show why moving forward with this issue in mind is crucial for all members of the entertainment community.
This article brings up a very important perception that people have about "specially-able" people: they think of them as weak and incapable of performing anything more than what these people could do for themselves.
This perception has existed for centuries for a variety of reasons such as perception, usage and efficiency. But as wrong as these reasons were in the past, they continue to be so in the present also. Specially able people have more to offer to the world because the skills that they develop to compensate what they might believe they lack, are very efficient and makes such people very able in handling different types of jobs, which has been validated by some of the examples mentioned in the article.
It is also worth noting the efforts of some understanding and intelligent people who recognize the importance of specially able people and how they strive to give opportunities to such people, who have so much to offer.
If this the way forward, there will one be a day where the specially able population will be as rewarded and valued and the "normal" people, which would be a milestone in the history of humans.
This article brings to light several good points regarding the under-representation of differently-abled workers in the entertainment industry. Especially the ending comment: Mr. Rozeman comments how people with disabilities are used to needing to look for solutions in a world of obstacles, which is exactly what theatre and live entertainment provides. It is so important to stand by the fact that if we are willing to put differently-abled people on TV, in films, and on stage, we need to have them represented behind the scenes as well. This not only means that we need to be open-minded and accepting, but we also need to change the way in which we work so that *all* are included and able to do their job. We discussed this topic last year as part of a seminar. For Stage Managers, it is extremely rare to find a theatre that is completely wheelchair accessible. I have been to and worked at so many theatres where the calling booth is up a ladder, or through a tall, thin door, up a flight of steps with no elevator access, etc. If I were in a wheelchair, the simple fact of not being able to get to the calling booth would make it impossible to do my job. Mr. Washington needs his eyes and hands in order to do his job, and the mere fact that he now needs a cane should in no way mean that without the correct support he would be unable to do his job. Theatres and entertainment studios need to prioritize including workers with different abilities, and then follow through to support them in successfully carrying out their job.
I think here too equity riders are so important. The sentiment that Mark Rozeman expresses, a staff writer for the Good Doctor who is on the spectrum, sums it up in such an impactful manner. He states, "Employers want someone who can solve problems. For many people with disabilities, life is a series of problem-solving scenarios, so they’re good at it. This is an industry where the jobs are draining, with constant challenges and weird hours; you want someone with determination on your team. Who wouldn’t want that?” I found this sentiment to be very inspiring and on the nose. Often times it seems that employers look at people and deem that they cannot do something without even asking--either out of fear of an awkward conversation or just plain ignorance, the result is the same. In the paragraph before, Cude imparts the following, "Don’t make assumptions that the person can’t do something. Assume that they can.’" This is a key point that I hope those in charge of hiring pay attention to. People with disabilities should be able to determine and express their own capacities and not be kept out by the judgement or determination of others, and the entertainment industry should do all it can to make its culture and workplace or diverse and open. If an equity rider helps push this forward and ensures compliance, I think it is a good addition.
This article brings up a very important point about understanding what inclusion truly means and how the entertainment industry still has more progress to be made both on the screen and stage, as well as behind the spotlight. One of the most appealing parts of doing technical theatre for me is that being capable of doing the job at hand and being capable of doing it well is the primary factor in finding work. Factors like looks and height that matter more for actors aren’t as relevant in technical theatre, so it opens the opportunity for us to lead the way in being inclusive to individuals with disabilities. Yet I haven’t seen this kind of inclusion in the technical teams I have been a part of. I do like to believe that the great majority of those employed in the theatrical field make great efforts to be aware and inclusive in both their workplaces and their lives, yet people with disabilities aren’t often the ones I hear people talking about including. The article provides examples of very successful situations and show why moving forward with this issue in mind is crucial for all members of the entertainment community.
This article describes an extremely positive movement going on in the film and theatre community, expanding diversity. Unfortunately there are some problems in the way we expand diversity. We need to step out of only including those with disabilities on shows or commercials focusing on diversity. This article describes a great example of persons with disabilities working on the show, the good doctor whose main plot point is about the benefit of a doctor who is a differently abled person. If we only focus on adding diversity in these situations the role of diversity in theatre and film will be only a frivolous decoration that happens to match the content being provided instead of a core value of those on any hiring team across film and theatre. A caveat to this argument is that diversity had to start somewhere. Though true, we want diversity to expand everywhere and not be limited by any parameter. This article is critical in times where the industry is constantly trying to diversify its self and pride itself on the newfound diversity, and was a pleasure to read.
I really enjoyed this article. I often think about the adage that time is money and I think the most frustrating thing, to me, is that my abilities take more time. I can often do the same things as another crew member, but it takes me an extra second or I have to grab a ladder instead of just reaching for it. All of those little seconds here and there ring like pennies dropping into a piggy bank in my head. It makes me feel discouraged and frustrated,so I often push to do things that take less time but are less kind to my body. I think this correlation between money and time is the biggest boundary we set for disabled crew members. I did like how the interviewee of this article made it a point to say that having diversity on screen is not enough. In every sense of it, it is not enough. If employers give people a little time and tools they need, their contributions will completely change a company's productivity.
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