FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amanda Upson
FWD-Doc demands UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report include analysis of
D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse talent in Hollywood
Los Angeles, CA (March 30, 2022) – On behalf of FWD-Doc’s 500 filmmakers with disabilities and
their allies, FWD-Doc responds to UCLA’s omission of disability in its “Hollywood Diversity Report
2022” released by UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences. FWD-Doc demands UCLA rehabilitate its
report by including data on D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse talent in Hollywood.
Jim LeBrecht, co-founder of FWD-Doc and co-director of Crip Camp elucidates, “UCLA’s report that
stands for promoting diversity is an egregious case of exclusion and perpetuates the misconception
that people with disabilities do not exist in the entertainment industry. In light of CODA’s three Oscar
wins at the recent 94th Academy Awards ceremony, this oversight reinforces FWD-Doc’s assertion
that this report is incomplete and not comprehensive.” As UCLA’s report is designed to “explore
relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry,” it is
critical that disability be included in UCLA’s analysis.
FWD-Doc demands a public statement that acknowledges UCLA’s oversight and the damage that it
created and implores UCLA to commit to releasing a specific report on disabled representation in the
film industry within six months. Additionally, FWD-Doc expects that the UCLA report on representation
in Television (due in the Fall of 2022) does not repeat this harmful omission.
Globally there are 1.85 billion people with disabilities, holding $8 trillion dollars in disposable income
(this jumps to $13 trillion if you include their families), making people with disabilities the third largest
economic power in the world – above Japan, Germany, and the UK. Filmmakers with disabilities are
key to unlocking these audiences.
As the UCLA report stated, “America’s increasingly diverse audiences prefer diverse film content.”
While there is a dearth of investment in projects featuring characters with disabilities and created by
filmmakers with disabilities, it is apparent from recent Oscar-nominated and winning films (CODA,
Audible, Crip Camp, Feeling Through, The Dress, and Sound of Metal), that audiences respond to
these films. By including disability in its research, UCLA can help focus industry attention on disability
and ensure more projects made by filmmakers with disabilities receive funding to reach audiences.
Disability is diversity.
About FWD-Doc
FWD-Doc (Filmmakers with Disabilities, www.fwd-doc.org) is a group of filmmakers with disabilities
(FWDs) — and our active allies.
FWD-Doc seeks to increase the visibility of, support for, and direct access to opportunities, networks,
and employment for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse filmmakers. We aim to foster greater inclusion
of D/deafness, disability, and neurodiversity within the broader entertainment industry.
FWD-Doc leadership includes: co-founders, Day Al-Mohamed, Lindsey Dryden, Jim LeBrecht, and
Alysa Nahmias, and Interim Director, Amanda Upson.
For More Information
For more information about FWD-Doc, go to https://www.fwd-doc.org/.
To download FWD-Doc’s Toolkit for Inclusion and Accessibility: https://www.fwd-doc.org/toolkit.
To download FWD-Doc’s Engagement Pack with resources aimed at filmmakers, commissioners, funders, buyers,
decision-makers, business affairs, and exhibitors, and includes templates for use across the industry:
https://www.fwd-doc.org/engagement-pack.
#FWDDoc #disabilityisdiversity #nothingaboutuswithoutus #omissioniserasure