RespectAbility, a non-profit organization that advocates for people with disabilities, has announced the participants for the 5th edition of its Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities. The Los Angeles cohort includes 20 participants ranging in age from the 20s through the 50s, with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, other disabilities, and multiple disabilities. This year’s lab has been adapted to be in support of the WGA strike, including bringing in more writers and independent industry speakers to talk about the current climate. Lab alumni now count 122 and work across the industry, including in writer’s rooms, and have had films featured at festivals such as SXSW.
RespectAbility, a non-profit organization that advocates for people with disabilities, has announced the participants for the fifth edition of its Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities. The lab aims to combat stigmas for people with disabilities through advocacy and create an ecosystem of disabled creatives supporting each other to ensure success in the entertainment industry.
The Los Angeles cohort for this year includes 20 individuals with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, and multiple disabilities, ranging in age from their 20s through their 50s. The participants for the 2023 cohort are Iqsa Aqilah, Catherine Argyrople, Robert Burns, Michael Busza, Matthew Charles, Rick Cisario, Stephan Collins-Stepney, Jules Dameron, Katey Darling, Lorena Gordon, Annie Hayes, Jayla Hodge, Christopher James, Chrissy Marshall, Radha Mehta, Danielle Monique, Toby Parker Rees, Amelia Swedeen, Maggie Whittum, and Nicole Zimmerer.
The lab has been adapted to support the WGA strike, bringing in more writers and independent industry speakers to talk about the current climate. The lab founder, Lauren Appelbaum, senior vice president of communications and entertainment & news media at RespectAbility, said, “Since 2019, we have been building a community of disabled entertainment professionals and creating an ecosystem of disabled creatives supporting each other to ensure that we as a disability community find success.”
Lesley Hennen, who is managing the day-to-day programming of the lab and an alumna of the 2020 cohort, said, “Especially now, during a time that feels like an important turning point in the entertainment industry, it’s important to have that support network of like-minded creatives who are all working toward a common goal of creating a more accessible and inclusive industry.”
Lab alumni now count 122 and work across the industry, including in writer’s rooms, and have had films featured at festivals such as SXSW. They have also participated in additional career track programs, including with Film Independent and Sundance Institute. More than 15 lab alumni have returned as presenters and mentors for this year’s cohort, including Kiah Amara, production accessibility coordinator for Apple TV+’s Best Foot Forward.
The entertainment industry has a long history of underrepresentation and exclusion of people with disabilities. However, the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab is working to change that by creating opportunities for disabled creatives to succeed in the industry. The lab provides a supportive community for disabled entertainment professionals and advocates for more inclusive and accessible practices in the industry.
As the final word, the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab is an essential initiative that aims to combat stigmas for people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. The lab provides a supportive community for disabled entertainment professionals and advocates for more inclusive and accessible practices in the industry. With the lab’s fifth edition, the participants will receive an opportunity to learn from independent industry speakers and writers about the current climate, which will help them to succeed in the entertainment industry. The lab’s efforts to create an ecosystem of disabled creatives supporting each other will undoubtedly lead to a more accessible and inclusive entertainment industry.
