Disabled writers, like their underrepresented peers, are often the only representatives of their community in a writers room, if they are in the room at all. This places immense pressure on them to both perform at the highest level and be an expert on their community. In addition to this added pressure, disabled writers are often pigeonholed into only writing about disability, even though they are often qualified and eager to write a wide array of storylines, just like their non-disabled peers.
This panel, in partnership with Inevitable Foundation and the WGAW’s Disabled Writers Committee, explores the experiences of disabled film and TV writers, from the challenges of navigating the entertainment industry with a disability to the role accessibility plays in their writing process. Hear a range of perspectives about the various barriers disabled writers face, and learn how non-disabled writers can make the storytelling process more hospitable and inclusive for disabled writers to thrive.
Panelists:
Jenn Lloyd - Writer/producer, The Barbarian and The Troll, K.C. Undercover, Shake It Up
Shani Am. Moore - Story Editor, The Bold Type; Staff Writer, Sweet Magnolias
Shoshannah Stern - Creator/Executive Producer, This Close; Actor, Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural
Keisha Zollar - Creator/writer, Astronomy Club. Writer, Spitting Image, Sketchy Times with Lily Singh, Busy Tonight
Moderated by WGAW Disabled Writers Committee Chair David Radcliff
Panel starts at 4:00pm Pacific time.
Space is limited so RSVP now. After signing up, you’ll receive information on how to access the Zoom panel. An ASL interpreter and closed captioning will be provided for this event.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
For anyone who was unable to RSVP for the panel, we will record and post it at a later date.
About Our Partners
Inevitable Foundation is a non-profit that funds screenwriters who are developing projects that normalize authentic characters with disabilities. Our goal is to close the disability representation gap in film/TV: People with disabilities make up 20%+ of the population but represent only 2% of characters on screen and less than 1% of writers behind the screen.
We fund screenwriters because they’re uniquely positioned to embed authentic representation at a project’s inception. Our Screenwriting Fellowship gives emerging screenwriters $25,000 to advance their projects that have disability representation at the forefront.
We envision a world where people with disabilities are valued both on and off screen.
The Disabled Writers Committee seeks to enhance the visibility and employment of writers with all types of disabilities, and encourage, celebrate, and endorse accurate portrayals of disabled people in all areas of the media. We also serve as an expert resource for all issues related to the disabled community.