New Civil Rights Movement: Passionate Crusade for Inclusion of People with Disabilities

[Guest guest]

New Civil Rights Movement: Passionate Crusade for Inclusion of People with

Disabilities

Pam Vetter

December 30, 2007

“’Sesame Street’ is rare. For almost 40 years the writers,

producers and administrators have been committed to including people with

disabilities to truly represent society. But, how often do you see people with

disabilities in commercials, television shows, film or theatre?” writer

Perl Kingsley asked.

“People with disabilities are America’s largest minority with 57

million. They far outnumber African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans

– any racial or ethic group you can think of and they are still

ridiculously under-represented when compared to their actual percentage of the

general population. When you add to that number all of the people who are

affected by disabilities, such as the non-disabled spouses, parents, children,

teachers, caregivers, and concerned friends, it swells to an even more enormous

number. We are striving for equal opportunity and respect, " Kingsley

explained. " This is the new civil rights movement as disability cuts

through all divisions of ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, gender,

geography, and sexual orientation. It affects all segments of the population

and is the only minority group that anyone can join at any moment.”

Kingsley knows the statistics all too well. As a writer on “Sesame

Street” for thirty-seven years, she was one of the first to help

introduce young preschool viewers and their families to sign language.

“It was season two of ‘Sesame Street.’ I helped to bring

in the Little Theatre of the Deaf and they came on the show introducing

everyone to sign language. Encouraged by ‘Sesame Street’ producers,

I was soon writing material to introduce disabled actors and became politicized

about disability issues,” Kingsley said. “In 1974, my son, ,

was born with Down syndrome. I realized people like us had fallen off the face

of the earth in terms of their representation in the media. No one reflected my

family; in fact, no disabled people were seen anywhere in print media,

commercials and rarely in the arts. It hit me in the face that we didn’t

count and that my son didn’t rate as a human being. It was incredibly painful.”

In the mid-70’s, a mother wrote to “Sesame Street” to

express her surprise and gratitude when her son with Down syndrome learned to

recite the alphabet from the show.

“Everyone had told this mother that her son wouldn't be able to learn

but 'Sesame Street' was her first indication that he could. We then realized

that we were aiming our curriculum at a developmental age, not a chronological

age. I began my own passionate crusade to include a curriculum for slower

learners, to show kids with disabilities functioning as participating members

of their communities. Children with disabilities are not being shut away in

institutions anymore. They are growing up in families, they are in our

neighborhoods, in school, in playgrounds, just like everybody else.

‘Sesame Street’ has been a model of normal comfortable inclusion

since the mid-70s. In fact, ‘Sesame Street’ has a better record

than any show in our history for consistently and constantly showing the

disabled in a normal way,” Kingsley explained. “For a child in a

wheelchair to see another child in a wheelchair on TV, it validates that child.

It also is validating to the siblings of children with disabilities who often

have their own issues around acceptance and understanding of their disabled

brothers and sisters. Most importantly, for all of the other kids and society,

it helps create an acceptance to see them in a comfortable, normal way of

existence.”

Having someone such as Reeve appear on “Sesame

Street” in his wheelchair was important in furthering the movement.

“We had a very explicit segment with Reeve where he talked

about his accident and he showed the children how the wheelchair worked. When I

interviewed him, I told him I’d like to use his son in the segment. He

asked me to tell him why, to convince him because he and his wife didn’t

put their son in the media. I explained to him how important it was to show

that people with a disability have lives, they are parents, they have spouses,

and they have children. They have real lives. He agreed. In the scene, his son

says to Big Bird that ‘We’re going to the library,’ and when

his father arrives, he climbs up on his lap, right in the wheelchair, gives him

a kiss and says, 'Hi Dad!' It demonstrates so clearly the ordinary warm Dad-son

relationship between and his son,” Kingsley said.

Kingsley joined an organization in New York City focused on non-traditional

casting, which today is the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts. Her son did

some acting on “Sesame Street,” “Fall Guy,” and

“Touched by an Angel.”

“The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts is terrific! We have

representatives from every major entertainment guild including the Writers

Guild (East and West), the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild, Actors

Equity, choreographers, stage designers, and many others. We’re planning

a major event and working hard to increase visibility. The disabled are

under-represented. We want to enhance opportunities for people behind the

scenes as well such as all the talented disabled writers, directors, editors,

etc.. whose talents often go unrecognized. It’s ambitious, but it’s

shocking we aren’t better represented in today’s world,”

Kingsley added.

Kingsley also points out that it is often overlooked that people with

disabilites are a huge bloc of consumers.

“People with disabilities and their families also have to choose a

laundry detergent, a toothpaste and all of the other items which are advertised

on television. Think about it. Some time ago you didn't see representatives of

other minority groups selling products in commercials. Now it's taken from

granted. Including people with disabilities in this way is just the natural

next step - but it hasn't happened as yet! Crest did a commercial with a Down

syndrome child and the sales skyrocketed. It was their most successful

advertising campaign. Crest even received awards for that commercial. Even

though Americans with disabilities are America's largest minority, it is still

very rare to see a person with a disability in a commercial - and certainly not

in anything like their percentage of the population. I did a survey years ago

asking whether you would be more likely or less likely to buy with an

advertising campaign showing someone who is disabled. In the final results, 349

out of 350 people said they would buy a product if they needed it or not simply

because of an advertising campaign which included someone who is

disabled,” Kingsley said.

“Whatever the cause, whether fear or a negative stereotype,

advertisers think it’s better to go with whatever is safe. I wrote

letters to twenty-seven major advertising executives and some of the letters I

received in return were outrageous. One said, ‘We do not wish to exploit

peoples' misfortunes in order to sell our product.’ People with disabilities

should be portrayed as the ordinary productive participating citizens they are.

Period. No pity, no exploitation. Just as ordinary individuals with the same

hopes and dreams and experiences as everybody else.”

When it comes to recognizing the capabilities of those who are disabled,

Kingsley speaks proudly from the heart.

“My son, , lives in a small group home with two roommates. He has

a job in the community and he uses public transportation. They live in a

neighborhood with no sidewalks. So, they decided to do something about it.

These three guys, all of whom have Down syndrome, went door-to-door and

everybody in the neighborhood signed their petition to try to get a sidewalk

built... except one old man who said he wouldn't sign because he didn't want to

have to shovel snow off a sidewalk. and his roommates offered to shovel

his sidewalk for him. People had been complaining about the lack of a sidewalk

for years but it took these three young men with Down syndrome to actually do

something about it. It's a lesson in neighborliness. "

" They called me recently because they needed help to bake a cake. When

I reminded them that they were all on diets and asked why they were baking a

cake, they told me it was not for them, it was for new neighbors who had just

moved in across the street. The new neighbors were delighted. Many people have

negative stereotypes about what sort of neighbors people with disabilties can

be and misguided information about their effect on property values and such.

These young men have demonstrated what community activism and being a good

neighbor is all about. In addition to all this, Kingsley, with his pal

Levitz, who also has Down syndrome, has written a book about his

experiences growing up with Down syndrome. It is called COUNT US IN : GROWING

UP WITH DOWN SYNDROME and was recently published by Harcourt Books. It is a

remarkable insight into the real life experiences and feelings of young men

with a disability. is also a member of the New York State Self Advocacy

Association,” Kingsley said.

With decades of experience to share with the next generation, Kingsley is

proud to have been a part of “Sesame Street’s” amazing

history and incredible impact through education.

“I am so grateful because we’ve been cutting-edge. When

I’m out shopping and I see a child, I have a wonderful feeling as though

I’ve played a part. The commitment ‘Sesame Street’ has for

inclusion is unmatched. The French version of Sesame Street has a muppet character

in a wheelchair. Over the years, we’ve included a wide spectrum of

disabilities including, among others, people who are deaf, wheelchair users,

and people who are blind and use service dogs. In addition to physical

disabilities, we also represent kids with cognitive disabilities, such as Down

syndrome or Aperts syndrome, both of which have associated physical

characteristics so the audience can identify them. In addition to our live

action films, we have also included depictions of kids with disabilities in our

animated films and muppet segments,” Kingsley added. “But, nowhere

in the media are people with disabilities portrayed in proportion to their

actual percentage of the population. And people need to realize that it doesn't

need to be a disability story to show a disabled person. Disabled actors can be

cast in all sorts of roles - disabled and non-disabled. People with

disabilities can be found in the widest range of professions, activities,

family structures, communities and should be portrayed as the fully

participating citizens they are.”

For more information on Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts visit www.InclusionInTheArts.org.

For Sesame Street articles relating to disabilities visit www.SesameStreet.org.

* Pictured: Kingsley, Perl Kingsley's son.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=47129