Such an important topic!
If you’ve followed my journey from nonverbal autism to professional speaker on my social media channels you’ve probably heard me talk about the fact that less than 1% of disabled actors actually receive the opportunity to play disabled characters on television. Representation is important and I’m so happy Oscar winner Octavia Spencer did this PSA discussing this vital topic. The PSA actually was launched to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act) The Ruderman Family Foundation have done important work to advocate for countless with disabilities from around the world.
When inclusion works it means having everyones voices brought to the table. Some of my mentees hope to act one day and having more opportunities would be sensational! I wanted to use my platform today to applaud Octavia for what she did here and hope it leads to change!
I’ve been blessed to be an autism entertainment consultant working on Joyful Noise, Jane Wants A Boyfriend and HBO’s Mrs. Fletcher to bring a realistic portrayal of disability to our entertainment industry. I hope to potentially one day take my work behind the scenes to doing something in front of the camera as an aspiring actor.
What did you think of Octavia’s PSA? Tell me in the comments! More on her involvement can be found here.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, & Instagram!
My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum that started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education. Help support me so I can continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
