Representation in advertising and media

How to change the world through advertising
Geneieve Clay-Smith, Taste Creative, 5 May 2017
It might sound like a bold and idealistic statement, but when we represent diverse people in advertising campaigns and when we challenge gender roles, we’re having an impact on society ... Apart from being the right thing to do, it makes sense — people with disabilities need the same stuff as everyone else! They have money, they are consumers too, of course it’s a good idea to include people with disabilities in marketing — all brands should do it ...



Something to watch out for - this comic book launches in July 2017:

• Meet the world's first comic book superhero with Down syndrome

Comedian Rosie Jones wants disabled TV characters who are 'gritty and flawed'
BBC, 14 April 2017
Stand-up comic and writer Rosie Jones says we need to see disabled characters on TV "who are gritty, and flawed, and three-dimensional like every other person is". The comedian, who has cerebral palsy, says she's "angry at how disabled people are portrayed by the media" ...
Oscars diversity debate must include learning disability
The Guardian (Letters), 24 February 2017
Diversity has long been an issue at the Oscars, which are due to be awarded on Sunday. Last year’s #OscarsSoWhite campaign highlighted the lack of racial diversity. But disability has been overlooked in this debate, with even less of a voice for people with a learning disability ...

Hollywood's push for diversity is ignoring the largest minority community

Gregg Mozgala, America Magazine, 28 February 2017

At Sunday’s Oscar ceremony, five African Americans received Academy Awards, for acting, producing and screenwriting. This came one year after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was blasted from all sides for not being “diverse” enough. Today, the Academy is being hailed for its immense progress in the area of inclusivity.

But this is only one thread of progress. Authentic diversity would mean including a group of artists who gain almost no mention in the popular press ...

Where Were the Actors with Disabilities at the Oscars?
Easter Seals, 27 February 2017
The 2017 Academy Awards presentation was all about diversity. So where were the actors with disabilities?

A Los Angeles Times interview with Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin asks the same question. Matlin is deaf, and her Oscar for best actress in Children of a Lesser God marks the last time an actor with a disability won an Academy Award. The only other actor with a disability to ever win an Oscar was Harold Russell, a veteran who lost both hands during World War II. He earned two Oscars in 1947 for his role in 'The Best Years of Our Lives' ...

A recent study found only 4 per cent of TV show characters in Australia had a disability
Every Australian Counts, 14 February 2017
A recent piece of research by Screen Australia benchmarked the current diversity of Australian TV by analysing nearly 2000 main characters from 199 free-to-air Australian TV shows.

'Seeing Ourselves: Reflections on Diversity in TV Drama' found that only 4 per cent of TV show characters in Australia had an identifiable disability. In reality, just over 18 per cent of Australians have a disability.

This research also analysed who plays characters with disability, and what this means to stakeholders. It found that actors without disabilities are placed in 91 per cent of roles for characters with disability.

See the full article summarising the research on the Centre for Applied Disability Research here.

Education matters

My daughter with Down syndrome deserves to be in a regular classroom

Heather Avis, Good Housekeeping, 15 April 2017
... we found ourselves catapulted into a world we knew little about and quickly did all we could to figure it out. We discovered this "Down syndrome" thing is pretty incredible ... As it wove itself into the normalcy of our day-to-day lives, I would often catch myself looking around trying to figure out how I got so lucky. It was as though there was this secret club of people who get to do life with Down syndrome, and somehow, I was let in.

But the world of Down syndrome is not all lazy rivers. Over the past 8 years, I've spent more time in raging rapids, clinging onto a rock for dear life as my daughter has undergone lifesaving surgeries and spent way too many hours in doctor's offices. And as we have entered the world of public schools, the taste in my mouth has been anything but sweet ...

Response to Senate report on students  with disability: some positive, but weak

Catia Malaquias, SWJ IncludEd, 2 April 2017
The Australian Government has quietly tabled its Response dated March 2017 to the Senate Committee’s Report entitled “Access to real learning: the impact of policy, funding and culture on students with disability” (released on 15 January 2016) ...

Australian Government launches 'Leading Learning 4 All' website

Catia Malaquias, SWJ IncludEd, 8 March 2017

... the emphasis of the website on school leadership (is) to promote an inclusive school culture, to develop, mentor and support inclusive teaching practices and to foster collaborative relationships with parents of students with disability – each cornerstones of a robust inclusive education system ... Although we have previously expressed our reservations about a “special education” association like ASEPA being tasked with developing inclusive education resources for regular mainstream schools, we acknowledge that the website provides access to a wealth of useful information, tips and resources for principals and teachers in mainstream schools to better include students with disability ...

Do we really believe in inclusion?

Chris Wejr, Think Inclusion, 14 February 2014
As an education system and society, we have made huge strides in the inclusion of students with visible disabilities in our classrooms, groups, sports, and friendships. I wonder, though, if we have made as much progress in including ALL students… especially those who appear on the outside to be similar yet are different (or perceived to be) on the inside. I am not talking about the act of everyone having a seat in a classroom; I am talking about having a mindset of real inclusion ...

News and commentary from and about the broader disability community

New research shows role-playing disability promotes distress, discomfort and disinterest
Hiram College, Science Daily, 12 April 2017
Disability simulations often result in feelings of fear, apprehension and pity toward those with disabilities, new research concludes ...

The Ongoing Negotiations of Living Life With a Disability
Rachel Kolb, Pacific Standard, 18 April 2017
The line of thinking often goes like this: Disability is expensive. People with disabilities are in the minority, so costs could be better spent on projects that benefit more people. What’s more, retrofitting spaces and processes for accessibility is a hassle. Whenever accessibility provisions are granted, the person with the disability ought to be profoundly grateful others took the trouble to make it happen. And, anyway, if you’re requesting accessibility services, do you really need them? Couldn’t you just do without?

My Journey with Disability Language and Identity

Andrew Pulrang, Rooted in Rights, 10 April 2017

... The more I thought about it, “identity first” language started to again change how I thought about my disabilities. I stopped worrying about whether or not my disabilities “define” me, and started to embrace the fact that like it or not, I am part of a community, a shared identity. I’m disabled. And I do like it ...

We are failing our most vulnerable even in their own homes

Colleen Pearce, Brisbane Times, 4 April 2017
Just one day after the ABC aired last week's Four Corners investigation into taxpayer-funded group homes for the disabled, my office had a call about an extremely troubling case of violence in a home for people with disabilities in Victoria ...

'Speechless' on Australian TV this week

US series Speechless is premiering in Australia at 8.00pm Saturday 4 March 2017 on ELEVEN. A 'Behind the Scenes' video  preview is available on TenPlay now.

Reviews from the US, where the show has been screening since September 2016 on the ABC network:

Speechless Is Breaking New Ground on Television

David M Perry, The Atlantic, 21 September 2016

The new ABC comedy about the family of a teenager with cerebral palsy is one of the rare shows to put a character with disabilities at the center of its narrative ...

How the Sitcom ‘Speechless’ Understands Families Like Mine

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 9 September 2016

If you live in a household like mine — one with a nonverbal child — you’re anticipating one television show above all others this fall: “Speechless,” ... A prime-time series on a major network about “us”? It’s occasion for excitement, and for reflection. What, exactly, do we who live in the “Speechless” universe hope this series will accomplish?

Thanks to the eagle-eyed Starting with Julius for the heads up on Facebook. 

Representation of people with disability

Vogue’s “Diversity Cover” – The View from the First FloorCatia Malaquias, Starting with Julius, February 2017
The Vogue cover disappointingly reflects the narrow prism through which ‘high-fashion’, and much of the fashion and advertising worlds, continue to see and reflect ‘human diversity’, which seems increasingly at odds with what many consumers would like to see reflected even on the glossy pages of fashion magazines ...

#ShePersisted: She Has a Disability and She Persisted, TooMeriah Nichols, Meriahnichols.com, 9 February 2017
These are images of powerful, resilient, strong, fierce fighters of women’s rights, education, sexual and racial equality. But where are the disabled fighters in that image?

Do the disabled fighters exist?

On the ‘right’ way to be disabled

Paniz Khosroshahy, McGill Daily, 6 February 2017

... Currently the only examples we have in our media is either the promotion of elite sports for Paralympics, or representations where a disabled person is either a villain, or lonely, never a romantic interest, or they’re evil, or they want to end their life because that’s how bad having a disability is. They would rather not exist than have a disability. This type of media representation leads people to assume that [disabled people] can’t do anything so when you can make it into university or go grocery shopping they’re surprised that you can do normal everyday tasks ...

School, education, teaching, learning

What a very hot, hot hot week for the start of the 2017 school year! Best wishes to all of those students starting school or high school for the very first time, and those returning from the long summer holidays.

There is so much information available to support students, teachers and families, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are just a few links to give you food for thought right now:


I Don’t Speak for Laura
George Estreich, New York Times, 27 January 2017
... In one way, Laura’s Father’s Day note is nothing special: Lots of people with Down syndrome read and write. In another, it is evidence of a radical transformation that began in my lifetime, and is still underway ...


Schools For All Guide

School Inclusion Parent Network

We, as parents, are the experts on our children and the constant in their lives. But navigating the schools years and ensuring that our children gain access to the general education classroom, receive the appropriate supports and stay on the path to an inclusive future, can be challenging and confusing. Access to quality information can make all the difference ...

• This guide refers to US law and school administrative procedures, but it also includes reading on the nature of inclusion in education, the role of families and other matters that have universal relevance.

Tips for Teachers - a collection of short practical tips for teachers to improve the inclusiveness of their general education classrooms

Dr Robert Jackson and Catia Malaquias, IncludEd (part of the blog Starting with Julius), January 2017
The 2017 school year is about to start and teachers in regular mainstream classrooms will be busy planning and preparing teaching materials, including differentiated curricula materials for students with disability allocated to their class. To assist, we have gathered together all our “Tips for Teachers” articles on this page, including some additional information.

Tips For Teachers Series:

• Creating An Inclusive Class Culture – Practical Tips For Teachers (N.o1)

• Supporting Peer Connection in the Inclusive Class – Practical Tips For Teachers (No.2)

• Less Is More: The Education Assistant – Practical Tips For Teachers (No.3)

• Getting the “Big Idea”: Including All Students in the Same Curriculum – Practical Tips for Teachers (No. 4 Part A)

• Making the “Big Idea” Achievable: Including All students in the Same Curriculum – Practical tips for teachers (No. 4 Part B)

• Presenting the “Big Idea” for All: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – Practical tips for teachers (No. 4 Part C)

• Behaviour Support in the Inclusive Classroom: The Basics – Practical Tips for Teachers (No. 5 Part A)

Education conferences in Qld and NSW
Two education conferences scheduled for the early weeks of the school year will be of interest to schools, individual teachers and support staff - families can pass the information about them to their child's school:

Embracing Success, Down Syndrome NSW's annual education conference will be held in Sydney 23 - 24 March 2017

Endless Possibilities, Down Syndrome Queensland's annual education conference will be held in Brisbane 2 - 3 March 2017, and might be more accessible to families and teachers in far northern NSW 

More posts on education matters

Inclusion

Corporate social reporting, disability and inclusive advertising - embracing the future of reporting on inclusive advertising in the retail sector

Catia Malaquias, Starting with Julius, 30 December 2016
Corporations have generally taken narrow and compliance-driven approaches to disability. Disability, when expressly recognised by a corporation’s policies, is often noted but not addressed for implementation or data collection. Diversity policies for example often do not even mention disability as a form of diversity, and very rarely provide for targets, monitoring or data collection in the same way as they do for say gender diversity ...

What the New Urban Agenda tells us about building inclusive cities

Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, World Bank, 6 December 2016

... While urbanization brings people closer to new economic and sociocultural opportunities, persons with disabilities still face a range of constraints in many cities, such as inaccessible buildings and public spaces, limited transportation options, inaccessible housing, and barriers in using technology-enabled virtual environments. These urban constraints have a significant impact on those living with disabilities in terms of mobility, ability to engage in education and skills development, employability and income generation, and larger social and political participation ...

It’s Time to Include Disabilities in Diversity
Janice Linz, Huffington Post (blog), 15 December 2016
Article after article discusses our need to ensure diversity, but they rarely mention disabilities. It’s as if people with disabilities are an afterthought (or more accurately, a forgotten thought). If the omission is mentioned, people often get defensive, as if they are being accused of insensitivity. But if another protected class like gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation were omitted, people would be up in arms about that ...

It takes a village to raise a child who helps others
Luisa D'Amato, Waterloo Region Record, 17 December 2016

Dylan Duncan was physically abused as a child. He was taken from his family, and grew up in a foster home. At 19, he lives with developmental disabilities.

What picture are you seeing, now that you have these facts? Someone who will need help all his life? Or someone who freely gives it?

Why Australia needs its first ambassador for disability inclusive development
Erin Ryan, Sight, 15 December 2016
People with disability were invisible in the world portrayed by the Millennium Development Goals. But this doesn’t reflect the world we live in; globally, one in seven people has a disability. In developing countries, this figure is even higher, at one in five. This erasure prevented people with disability from benefitting equally from efforts to reach the MDG targets ...

National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 to build inclusive and accessible communities: submissions invited

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into
The delivery of outcomes under the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 to build inclusive and accessible communities

(one of six priorities identified in the strategy)

The terms of reference are:

• the planning, design, management, and regulation of:
• the built and natural environment, including commercial premises, housing, public spaces and amenities,
• transport services and infrastructure, and
• communication and information systems, including Australian electronic media and the emerging Internet of things;
• potential barriers to progress or innovation and how these might be addressed;
• the impact of restricted access for people with disability on inclusion and participation in economic, cultural, social, civil and political life; and
• any other related matters.

Details of how to make a submission are here.

Submissions should be received by 17 March 2017. The reporting date is 13 September 2017.

• National Disability Strategy 2010 - 2020

2016 Don't DIS my ABILITY: I can, I am campaign

Monday 21, November to Sunday, 11 December 2016

International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) is celebrated annually in NSW with the Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign. It encourages communities in NSW to think and act inclusively, in all aspects of life.

This year’s Don’t DIS My ABILITY Campaign, ‘I Can, I Am’ celebrates people with disability who have overcome barriers to reach meaningful jobs. 

Don’t DIS My ABILITY seeks to inspire and build confidence in people with disability to find employment, but also challenges the public to re-evaluate their attitudes around the employment of people with disability. 

The campaign runs in conjunction with The International Day of People with Disability celebrated annually on 3 December. Join the conversation on Facebook @dontdismyability and watch the employment stories of Heidi, Iz and Nathan in film - all of the videos are also on the Don't DIS my ABILITY home page.

• Nathan Basha's I can, Iam ... an office assistant video on You Tube

On representation ...

Putting kids with special needs in ads isn't just about making moms feel good

Maureen Wallace, She Knows, 19 September 2016

... My son has Down syndrome, and seeing diversity in advertising fills my heart as much as it empties my wallet. But while companies that practice diversity in advertising may be driven by sales, the social benefits are life-changing.

My child needs to see himself reflected in the world, and the world needs to see my son and people who share his differences reflected in the barrage of images hitting us daily ...

Diversity, difference and disability and how nine-year-old Knox Gibson is helping change media portrayals

Meanie Pearce and Julie Clift, ABC Central West, 15 September 2016

... That gave me a platform to raise this issue of underrepresentation in the media, which is really important. It ties into how people perceive disability and whether they're in or out ...

Disabled people don’t want to be your inspiration, but if they are it’s no surprise
Tom Shakespeare, The Conversation, 15 September 2016
Should we be inspired by Paralympian achievement? Commentator Frances Ryan recently counselled Guardian readers to be careful to think through their reactions to disabled “superhuman” athletes and academic poster boys like Professor Stephen Hawking. Treat people with disabilities just like everyone else, is the argument. Don’t see us as special. If we have overcome anything, it’s more relevant to highlight the barriers that a disabling world sets in our way, not our medical problems ...

Gerard O'Dwyer in 'Off the Record': starts tonight, Carriageworks

Force Majeure's Danielle Micich goes Off the Record

Nick Galvin, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 August 2016
The usual process for producing any stage performance is first to consider the nature of the work then set about casting the roles.

But that is just one of the conventions Off the Record, a new collaboration between Force Majeure and Dance Integrated Australia, seeks to challenge.

"We've worked in reverse," says co-director Danielle Micich​. "It was like, 'Let's see who's out there and make the work about them' ...

10 Minutes with Gerard from OFF THE RECORD

Majeure News, August 2, 2016

... I love performing solo pieces. I love dance or basically anything with movement ...

RUCKUS posted on Facebook, 5 August 2016:

RUCKUS member Gerard O'Dwyer is having a bumper of a year! He's been in a feature horror film, flown to Cambodia for an international creative exchange and starred in a major theatre production. Now he's in 'Off the Record' by dance company Force Majeure.

• Off the Record will be at Carriageworks 17 - 20 August
• Bookings

Local elections: easy read voting guide from NSW CID

NSW Council on Intellectual Disability provides an impressive range of information and resources about the broad functioning of our communities for the benefit of people with intellectual disability, much of it through social media channels, making it readily available. Inclusion at work.

In case you are not following NSW CID on Facebook (and we would recommend that you do if you use Facebook), here is their helpful message  about the September NSW local council elections:

Did you know that many local Councils are going to an election on 10 September 2016? 

NSW CID has produced the following Easy Read guide for the NSW Electoral Commission. 

• You can download the guide on this link  

Councils that were not amalgamated will go to an election on 10 September 2016. 

Councils that were amalgamated go to an election in 2017.

2016 NSW Creative Achievement Awards

The New South Wales Creative Achievement Awards are a NSW Government initiative to recognise outstanding achievements that raise the global profile of NSW creative industries.

Winners will be announced at an industry event on 6 June 2016, during Vivid Sydney 2016.

Genevieve Clay-Smith, founder of Bus Stop Films,  is a finalist for the NSW Emerging Creative Talent Award:

Genevieve is a millennial with a portfolio career that spans the film industry, not for profit space and advertising. She is co-founder of Taste Creative, a creative agency based in Sydney and she is the co-founder and Executive Director of not for profit Bus Stop Films. She's an award-winning writer/director, was the 2015 NSW Young Australian of the year and winner of the 2014 100 Women of Influence, Young Leader award. She recently took out B and T's 2015 Women in Media award for creative and she has been named by MTV as one to watch.

Many people with Down syndrome work with Bus Stop Films, in all areas of film making.

On education and schooling

There is no shortage of discussion about how students with disabilities should be educated. Half way through the school year is  good time to assess how things are going, and how they might change:

Less is more: the education assistant - practical tips for teachers no.3

Catia Malaquias and Dr Robert Jackson, Starting with Julius, 27 May 2016
... An education assistant can be an invaluable resource in the classroom to support the teacher to include a student with disability. They can assist the class teacher to provide a great educational experience to all students as well as increase the independence and social connection of the student with disability ...

Inclusion At All Costs?

Linda Graham, 16 May 2016... In his TES (Times Education Supplement) article, Tom (Bennett) criticises something he calls “Inclusion At All Costs” (IAAC). This is not something with which I am familiar, perhaps because it is not a real policy and no one has ever advocated for it. ... I can understand where Tom is coming from and have no doubt his frustration resonates with a great many teachers. But, there are a number of problems with his article, as well as the Secret Teacher piece, that I feel duty bound to point out. These problems revolve around the uncritical use of words like “mainstream”, the way that inclusion is being conceptualised, and the conflation of equity and equality ...
Friends fight school for boy with Down syndrome 

USA Today, 16 May 2016
Brady was going to be moved to a school with a program for students with special needs, even though he was thriving in a class with his friends. His friends petitioned the school system to let him stay in their class. (47 s video)

Four Essential Variables of Inclusive Schools

Jennifer Kurth, Swift Schools, 2015

Despite the positive effects of inclusion, students with extensive and complex support needs are all too often relegated to self-contained, segregated classrooms with little to no access to the general curriculum ... Why does segregation persist, then, in light of the compelling benefits of inclusive education? The answer to this question is elusive, but seems to reflect a general sentiment that a continuum of placements is necessary and appropriate, and that, in fact, some degree of restrictiveness is appropriate for students with disabilities ...

Some thoughts and practicalities on dual diagnosis - Down syndrome-autism

It is estimated that 7 - 10% of people with Down syndrome also have autism:

How to survive a dual diagnosis

Jerry Davich, Chicago Parent, 18 April 2016
Hearing the words "dual diagnosis" can be frightening for parents of a child with special needs, especially if they are already struggling to deal with an initial diagnosis.

"It was like we were reliving our life five years ago when we received my son's prenatal diagnosis," says Missy Gallagher, whose son, Finn, has Down syndrome ...

The Down Syndrome - Autism Connection recently drew attention to Bonnie Zampiro's 2015 article (about the reality of living with autism for some people and their families) as applying equally  to those with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. Her follow-up article expands on practical strategies to promote inclusion:

My Son Has the Kind of Autism No One Talks About

Bonnie Zampiro, Huffington Post (blog) 28 September 2015
... The media shows us all of the feel-good stories, like the child with autism who gets to be the manager of the high school basketball team, or the boy with autism who goes to the prom with the beautiful girl, or the girl with autism who is voted onto the homecoming court. We light it up blue every April and pat ourselves on the back for being so aware.

But we aren’t aware ...

My Son Has the Kind of Autism No One Talks About — Part 2

Bonnie Zampiro, Huffington Post (blog), 2 October 2016

... those who commented showed me that I was wrong. You are aware. You are aware of autism. You just don’t understand it ... 

What if I told you that both of us — you, with your typically functioning child and me, with my child with autism — could both do things together that would benefit the wellbeing of our children and that would enable all of our children to grow up to be their very best?

We can... if we want to. Many of you asked me for solutions. I have several ...

Books for children addressing inclusion

A useful list of children's books:

11 books that teach inclusion
Meg Kehoe, Romper, April 2016
A child's education starts at home. From what they see and hear in their household, to the lessons their parents teach them, to the books their parents read to them. You begin teaching your child lessons before they even realize they're lessons at all. Important things like acceptance, diversity, feminism, love, friendship, kindness, and inclusion, all have seeds planted at an early age. There are children's books out there for every topic you could ever want to breach with your child, and there are plenty of children's books that teach inclusion ...

'American Horror Story' star Jamie Brewer in Sydney

Actor Jamie Brewer will be visiting Sydney later this month for Bus Stop Films. During her visit there will be two opportunities to meet her and/or hear her speak:

Afternoon tea with Jamie Brewer - an invitation to Down Syndrome NSW members with Down syndrome

• The invitation to an afternoon tea at Annandale on Sunday 22nd May is published on the DS NSW Facebook page. The first 35 people to respond will have the opportunity to meet Jamie, a strong advocate for including people with Down syndrome in everything.
• Click on this link to secure your place.

Screen NSW, AFTRS and Bus Stop Films work together to make disability count on Australian screens

The Australian Film and Television School (AFTRS) and Screen NSW have joined with Bus Stop Films to foster pathways for people with disabilities to work in the Australian film and television industry.

Jamie Brewer, the American actress best known for her roles in the Emmy award winning hit TV series American Horror Story, will speak at a special Screen NSW and AFTRS event on May 25 to draw attention to the need for more diversity and inclusion in the screen industries. Jamie is an advocate for creating positive role models for people with disability, and in February 2015, became the first person with Down syndrome to walk the catwalk at New York Fashion Week.

The event An Evening with Jamie Brewer, to be hosted at AFTRS, with a keynote address by Screen NSW CEO Courtney Gibson, is designed to encourage more discussion amongst production companies, casting agents and the wider community on how the Australian film and television industry can best move forward in creating roles, both on and off screen, for people with a disability.

Screen NSW CEO Courtney Gibson said: “It’s time all of us in the screen sector focused on creating opportunities for under-represented groups, including disabled cast and crew, in order that a multiplicity of visions and voices are seen and heard. We'll have a stronger industry with richer content if we make it a priority.”

While in Sydney Jamie will also participate in an acting workshop for filmmaking students with disabilities being run by Bus Stop Films at Sydney Community College.

According to Genevieve Clay-Smith, co-founder of Bus Stop Films, a non-profit dedicated to facilitating a film school experience for students with disability, the Australian film and television industry has a long way to go in casting characters with a disability authentically. Jamie will star in the next Bus Stop Films production titled ‘Kill Off’, a new short film being made by with students with a disability, to be filmed in Wollongong.

“Australia is behind when it comes to authentic casting, we simply don't have high expectations of actors who have disabilities, we need to start challenging that, to look for ways to cast actors with disabilities in roles where the character shares the same disability. We also need to advocate for pathways for people with disabilities to get more involved in production.

“Jamie Brewer's presence in Australia will, I hope, shed light on the abilities of people with a disability to be involved in the film industry,” said Clay-Smith.

In the first season of American Horror Story: Murder House, Jamie portrayed Adelaide "Addie" Langdon, the daughter of the main antagonist, Constance Langdon, played by Jessica Lange; in the third season, American Horror Story: Coven, Jamie portrayed Nan, an enigmatic and clairvoyant witch, and in American Horror Story: Freak Show, she played opposite Neil Patrick Harris as Chester Creb's vision of his doll, Marjorie, come to life.

An Evening with Jamie Brewer
5.30pm, Wednesday 25th May
AFTRS - Building 130, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park

NSW CID 2016 Conference

Advance notice of the annual conference - further information is available from the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability:

People with disabilities are welcome at Mardi Gras

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is on Saturday 5 March 2016.

The full program of events, starting on 19 February is here.

People with disabilities are welcome at Mardi Gras
Matt Akersten, Same Same, 8 February 2016

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade isn’t just about having some fun while covered in glitter, it’s an opportunity for people to feel connected and included, say the team at not-for-profit disability service provider Northcott. 

People with Disability Australia, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and Northcott are joining forces for a Disability Pride parade float and will be active at Fair Day too. 

“In 2016 we’d like to invite people with disability from far and wide to join us,” say the Northcott crew ...

From the inside

While none of these articles references people with Down syndrome specifically, they each address real issues that can impact on any person with a disability during their every day life, and give insights into how it might feel and be understood by them. Such discussions can be confronting and difficult, - that doesn't mean we should avoid them:

Lucky to Be Alive: Zika Coverage, Ableism, and the Terror of Disabled Bodies

Karrie Higgins, Huffington Post, 5 February 2016

... In my newsfeed, headline after headline about Zika and abortion. Sentences like this one: "Zika could easily entrap American women in areas with standing water that breeds mosquitoes, closed clinics, no access to the later abortions a microcephaly diagnosis might require."

Require.

I have a neural tube birth defect, called Chiari Malformation. My cerebellum is falling through the foramen magnum. I have a too-small skull and a "screwed up," epileptic brain. What do able people think should have been required for me?

Able people pretend, Of course we don't mean you! But they do. They do ...

Stop praising able-bodies for treating disabled people like human beings

Erica Mones, Running with Crutches, 4 February 2016

... Many articles write “Girl takes friend in wheelchair to prom,” and the comments section is spilling over with positive responses like “What a sweet girl,” or “What a lucky boy,” and what these commenters fail to notice is that they are promoting the stigma against disabilities in society. If an able-bodied girl asked her able-bodied friend to prom, people would not praise her for making her friend feel special; instead, they would just think that two friends are attending prom together. Noone would think the girl was missing the chance of having a “real” date to go with a friend. Disabled people deserve the same courtesy ...

Uncertain abilities and the right to fail
Real Social Skills, 18 January 2016
Being disabled often means being unable to reliably predict what you will and won’t be able to do. Or whether something will be hard or easy. Sometimes this is for physical reasons; sometimes it’s because of how people treat us; often it’s both ...

Is disability misery?
Ania Onion Cebulla, Alyssa and Ania Splain You a Thing, 8 September 2015
... We as a society have this concept that people with disabilities, especially those receiving disability assistance are lazy, sad, and pathetic. That they are deserving of pity. There is an underlying current of society that holds the belief that the words “I am disabled” actually mean “my life is not worth living”. In a culture that prioritizes what any given person can do, how productive they are, it is not surprising that this is the case ...