647 characters are currently on network TV but only five
have physical/mental challenges. Last
year, only four had challenges. This
information is based on 91 stations that have TV scheduled in 2011-12.
“People with disabilities
represent our country’s largest minority,” said Christine Bruno, co-chair of
the Tri-Union I AM PWD campaign to promote inclusion of people with
disabilities in entertainment, which helped conduct the report. “We look to our
stages and screens not only for entertainment, but to hold a mirror up to
society. Our industry has a responsibility to its artists and the viewing
public to accurately reflect what we see on our streets and in our communities.”
The characters shown on network
TV who have physical/mental challenges include a boy with Asperger’s syndrome,
and a boy who is wheelchair dependent.
There is also a grandma with Alzheimer’s disease.
Cable TV showed a slight increase
in portraying characters with physical/mental challenges. They had ten characters on their shows with
four in reprieve roles. Cable highlighted
conditions such as Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy.
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