TV ignores the disabled: study

[Guest guest]

From the Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times 07 29 05

Performers with disabilities are vastily underrepresented on television

shows, are more likely to face discrimination in the workplace and are

afraid to ask for special accommodations for fear of loosing out on a

role, a report commissioned by the Screen Actors Guild states.

According to a summary of the report, titled " The Employment of

Performers with Disabilities in the Entertainment Industry " , 20% of

Americans (54 million) live with a mental or physical disability but

fewer than 2% of TV show characters, and only 0.05% have speaking

roles. The study found that performers with disabilities are more than

50% more likely to experience workplace discrimination than Americans

without disabilities.