SAG-AFTRA Releases ‘Time to Get Real’ Disability Advocacy Video Series

SAG-AFTRA has produced three advocacy videos putting a spotlight on the challenges disabled actors face in pursuing and auditioning for jobs in the entertainment industry. The videos were produced as part of the union’s “Inclusion: Time to Get Real” campaign launched in connection with National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The goal is to demonstrate how people with disabilities are underrepresented in TV and film, and when they are on screen, they are often misrepresented. In 2022, people with disabilities accounted for 8.8% of screen time, but those with visible disabilities made up only 0.4%, according to a Nielsen study.

“People with disabilities are America’s largest minority, representing nearly 26 percent of the nation’s population. Yet disabled performers are not afforded equal opportunities in entertainment and media and remain among the least represented in the industry,” said Christine Bruno, chair of the National Performers with Disabilities Committee, which steered the campaign.

“National Disability Employment Awareness …