RespectAbility & Norman Lear Center Unite to Help Hollywood Include People with Disabilities

RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities, announces a new partnership with Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a project of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center. The partnership will help educate, inform and support the success of the movie/TV industry in its work to ensure that people with disabilities are included on both sides of the camera in the stories that Hollywood tells. HH&S provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines on health, safety and national security. Like RespectAbility, HH&S recognizes the profound impact that entertainment media have on individual knowledge and behavior - ultimately impacting society and lives at large.

"We're delighted to be working with RespectAbility to help inform and inspire the frequency and accuracy of portrayals of people with disabilities in TV and film," said Kate Folb, the director of HH&S.

HH&S offers several resources, including quick facts, briefings and consultations with experts, case examples, panel discussions about timely health issues, a quarterly newsletter with health updates called Real to Reel and an expanding list of tip sheets written specifically for writers and producers. The broad range of topics includes disability-specific topics autism and mental health. Some of the TV shows they have assisted include The Fosters, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Orange Is the New Black, Speechless, Switched at Birthand many more.

The creation of this partnership would not have been possible without the financial support of The California Endowment. "Visibility and representation matters," said Jose L. Plaza, who manages the grant for The California Endowment. "We know that accurate and positive portrayals of diverse people with disabilities will not only empower and educate viewers and program creators but will ultimately lead to a more inclusive, responsive and healthier society."

Norman Lear, from Facts of Life to the Norman Lear Center
In 1980 Norman Lear broke a glass ceiling when he and Fern Field cast Geri Jewell as "cousin Geri" in the hit TV series Facts of Life, making Jewell the first person with a visible disability to land a regular role on a prime time TV series sitcom. Lear, who received a standing ovation while speaking recently at the Media Access Awards, said 2017 was the "most successful year for actors with disabilities on TV." With the new partnership, RespectAbility and the Norman Lear Center will work for an even better future.

Lear made his career during the 1970s by making situation comedies that featured characters who made statements that examined issues of civil rights. For example, All in THE FAMILY included a bigoted character, Archie Bunker, which spun off into The Jeffersons, a show that starred a black family that had a sharp political ideology, which reflected Lear's political ideas.

In 1981, Lear left the world of television sitcoms for political activism. He founded People for the American Way, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights, strengthening public education and promoting electoral and immigration reform. In 2000, Lear founded the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California to support research investigating the intersection of entertainment and society. In 2004, he founded Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan youth voter registration initiative. In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented Lear with the National Medal of Arts. Last year, he received the KENNEDY Centers Honors award. At 95, Norman Lear remains a creative force, and is still hard at work as a TV producer.

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