Why Is This Okay?
On February 5, 2020 deadline.com published the results of a study conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation (a foundation that focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities and strengthening the ties between the US and Israel). The study examined the portrayal of characters with disabilities on TV. The numbers, as published in The Ruderman White Paper on Authentic Representation in TV, found that 22% of all characters with disabilities on network television and 20% of such characters on streaming services are portrayed authentically by an actor with the same disability (Deadline.com). Deadline calls this good news, and it is, considering the fact that in 2016 that number was only 5%. Let me rephrase: In 2016, 95% of characters with a disability were portrayed by an able-bodied actor. Two years later that number is down to 78%.
Case In Point: Glee
I was not a Gleek. I liked the show (up until a certain point) but I was not obsessed. One of the main characters, Artie, was in a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury (yes, I just looked this up on Wikipedia). Kevin McHale, the actor who played him, is able-bodied. During the show’s run the character, actor, and show received a lot of praise and criticism for having an able-bodied actor play someone in a wheelchair. Yes, the character was authentically represented. Yes, the show was respectful towards a person with a disability. Yet, at the same time, when Glee won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, McHale was seated in the audience and able to walk onstage with his fellow cast members and accept the award. In contrast, Ali Stroker, who coincidentally appeared on Glee as a guest star, is handicapped. As I’m writing this, she is the first and only actor to perform on a Broadway stage that requires the use of a wheelchair for mobility (meaning she is in a wheelchair not necessarily the character). She was the first to be nominated and win a Tony award but when they featured her as one of the nominees, she was not seated amongst her colleagues. She was waiting offstage should her name be called (which it was). Why? Because they couldn’t (or didn’t) build her a ramp.
Why Is This Okay?
One logical explanation is that there is a dearth of actors with a disability to play these roles. Knowing a little bit about the entertainment industry I know this to be true. Speaking as someone who performed in her summer camp musicals and one day dreamed of starring on Broadway, I gave it up because I felt there was no way someone would give me the chance.
A second, more blunt explanation, is that those with disabilities are simply not chosen for these roles.
Jay Ruderman (President of the Ruderman Family Foundation), at the conclusion of the study, stated, “At a time when entertainment is advocating for inclusion, it is crucial that we continue to advance the rights of people with disabilities and create more opportunities for them in television and film.” I agree, Mr. Ruderman, but we should not limit this thinking to the entertainment industry. The diversity conversation is progressively getting louder, yet those with disabilities are still left out.
https://issuu.com/rudermanfoundation/docs/authentic_representation_2018_wp_2020
