Jorja News 2005
Disabled actors slighted in biz, SAG study says
Wed Jul 27, 2005
By Kimberly Speight
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Performers with disabilities are vastly underrepresented on television shows, are more likely to face discrimination in the workplace and are afraid to ask for special accommodations for fear of losing out on a role, according to a report released Tuesday by the Screen Actors Guild.
According to a summary of the report, titled "The Employment of Performers With Disabilities in the Entertainment Industry," 20% of Americans (or 54 million) live with a mental or physical disability, but less than 2% of TV show characters display a disability, and only 0.5% have speaking roles.
The study also found that performers with disabilities are more than 50% more likely to experience workplace discrimination than Americans without disabilities.
In addition, more than 33% of SAG's performers with disabilities said a reasonable accommodation would help them in their work, such as having a cane nearby or asking a producer to face them when they speak. But 60% said they never ask for an accommodation because they fear employers would be reluctant to hire them.
"CSI" co-star Robert David Hall, chair of SAG's National Performers With Disabilities Committee, addressed the findings Tuesday during a news conference at SAG's Los Angeles headquarters -- timed to coincide with the 15-year anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. He said there is much work to be done, and called on networks and studios to make a difference in casting more performers with disabilities and eliminating stereotypes.
"Being disabled doesn't mean you lack ability or are sick or fragile," he said. "If you have the talent, education or perseverance to contribute in a meaningful way, you belong in this business; you belong in any business ... If you're disabled and rarely see a positive or realistic portrayal of yourself, you begin to wonder, where do I fit into the American scene?"
Hall's "CSI" castmates William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox, Wallace Langham and David Berman also were on hand at to show their support. The actor, who lost both legs in a car accident in 1978, portrays Dr. Al Robbins on the CBS series.
"I'm proud to give a face to these issues, but I'm also fully aware that I'm one of the few exceptions," Hall said. "There are far too few performers with disabilities on television today -- far too few good, solid, truly human parts."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Jorja Fox besucht Marokko Mai 2005