Disability ReFramed: In Media
I attended WGBH’s Disability ReFramed In Media panel at their studio in Boston. Originally it was going to be a hybrid event. Two of the panelists had emergencies that caused them to be remote and thus the in-person event was canceled…but the handful of us at the studio hadn't gotten informed that it was switched to being entirely online. Fortunately, the producers let us into the studio and projected the meeting for us. There were supposed to be 10 organizations with tables at the IRL event. The producers hope to have more of these events with in-person components.
Among the people I met in person were Jim and Pat who vlog about living with cerebral palsy. Pat had hoped to ask the panelists if they had a recommendation for a disability version of the Bechdel Test. She mentioned that the Fries test’s last question doesn’t make sense for people with non-physical disabilities:
Does a work have more than one disabled character?
Do the disabled characters have their own narrative purpose other than the education and profit of a nondisabled character?
Is the character’s disability not eradicated either by curing or killing?
The presentation included a link to GBH Disability ReFramed Event Select Resources: Inclusive Practices in Journalism & Filmmaking. The producers posted a copy of the discussion on YouTube.
Dan Habib was the moderator for the talk. He co-produced the documentary The Ride Ahead with his son Samuel. He talked about how they created a language guide for the production. For example, the production did not allow the term “wheelchair bound” as wheelchairs provide freedom. Many of the people they worked with preferred disability first language. 70% of the cast and crew are disabled. Dan said that, "1 in 4 people (27%) live with a disability." The average cost for employee accommodations is $500 a year and yet many employers aren’t welcoming to people with disabilities.
Cara Reeddy was the first panelist introduced. She previously worked at CNN where she felt infantilized. Cara siad, "People are dying while we're not telling their story ... we're filming inspiration porn." She created Being a Little Person in America: 'We're still treated as less than human'. Cara said that, "Light needs to be turned on the things that prevent us from succeeding." An example she gave relevant in this election year is that voting booths are put in inaccessible buildings, ADA grandfathered buildings, and despite an outpouring of requests CNN did not provide ASL for the presidential debate. In terms of intersectionality, she discussed how we are the sum of all of our identities. Women, trans folks, and BIPOC people more often have disabilities. 1.4% of television characters have disabilities and the majority of these characters are male. Around 50% of the people killed by police are disabled. Cara talked about how often people "upstairs" say, no, we call them this even if they say they want to be called something else. Employment went up for disabled people due to COVID-19 and will go down as work from home is taken away. Work shouldn’t be 9-5 for people whose energy levels vary. She said, "We're all ableist, just like we're all racist...you need to investigate choices to see how they impact others."
Meghan Smith is a Senior Producer at WGBH focused on disabilities. For her, sidewalk dining accessibility became her radicalizing moment. Accessibility and disability stories were getting more page views than expected. She worked on an Instagram reel about accessibility for whale watching that became GBH's most watched reel. Some people with disabilities have a fear of talking to the news media. People Meghan has talked to about CODA said that if the family pulled over by the Coast Guard was black the interaction would have been very different. For Meghan, it’s important to ask people how they want to be described. WGBH uses AP style and WGBH has their own guide. Sometimes AP is outdated like "deaf" vs "Deaf". Tagging all images and having closed captions is critical for internet accessibility. Meghan wants disability and accessibility to be part of everyone's job and beat. Meghan worked with the fashion designer of Girls Chronically Rock, Keisha Greaves, to produce a video about adaptive clothing.
Liz Pritchard was the final panelist who introduced themself as non-binary person with Autism. Liz is a member of the Autistic Network for Community Achievement (ANCA) and made My Superpower as an Easter Seals film challenge entry. They created Paperbag Comics. She is also a part of Lights, Camera, Access (LCA). Liz wants to focus on fears and doubts, not diagnoses. Liz recommends watching Crip Camp and Stephen Universe. Some quotes from Them:
“Anyone can mask, not just people on the spectrum.”
"Self love is key."
"If you can't tell someone safely what your diagnoses are then maybe you shouldn't work for them."