Message
Please portray more people with disabilities in television and film
To: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Screen Actors Guild and the Hollywood Foreign Press
As you celebrate the past year's achievements in film this Sunday at the Academy Awards, I urge you to include more portrayals of one of the country's most underrepresented groups -- people living with disabilities -- in future projects.
Although 54 million children and adults in the U.S. are living with disabilities, it's difficult to name more than a handful of characters with special needs from recent films and television. To truly represent the human experience onscreen, you must include characters from all walks of life -- including those with disabilities. As an Easter Seals supporter, I was disappointed by last year's lack of meaningful portrayals of people with disabilities. Movies and television are a mirror we hold up to society -- but right now, they don't accurately reflect the millions of children and adults living with special needs in the U.S. I hope that in the future you'll help bring a more diverse range of characters with disabilities to the screen.
Thank you.
Sincerely,[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP]