• Disabled people aren’t, and don’t want to be: charity causes, or objects of inspiration porn, or gifts , or angels. Amy Sequenzia on Ollibean

Disabled TV Character and Positive Outcomes

One Person At A Time I wrote about this before but I want to emphasize a few points. I am talking about the effect of television, or any media, on how disabilities, and disabled people, are perceived by the non-disabled world. Specifically, I want to emphasize the - hopefully - positive effects of one TV show on its fans' views on disability and disabled lives. The show is X Company and this article contains spoilers. I will talk, again, about the character "Ulli". Quick recap: Ulli was a young boy with Down Syndrome, being kept as a secret by his

  • Text : Speechless Ollibean Must Watch. The family in the comedy "Speechless" standing by van.

“Speechless”: A Comedy That Includes Disability

"Speechless"  has been picked up by ABC. "Speechless”, is a new comedy series about a family with three children, one of whom is a teenager named JJ who is non-speaking and uses a wheelchair. Yes, a sitcom on ABC about a family with a child who has a disability and communicates using AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). And JJ won't just be featured in one episode to teach the other characters a lesson,  but is an integral part of every episode. Just like real life. If seeing a family like yours on a major network wasn't enough, JJ is being played

Disability History and Pop Culture

X Company is respectfully educating viewers about the ableism, discrimination and elimination of disabled people during the war. Hopefully, it will make more people aware of how disabled people are still discriminated against and abused in unthinkable ways.

  • "Hey @H&M - #IMREADY for change. We want YOU to include models with disabilities in 2015. We want YOU to be part of the #15in2015 . 15 retailers including models with disabilities in 2015. Represent!"

#IMREADY for Inclusive Media and Advertising

Hey JCREW  #IMREADY for change.  We want YOU to include models with disabilities in 2015.  We want YOU to be part of the #15in2015  . 15 retailers including models with disabilities in 2015. Note: Changing the Face of Beauty quickly met its #15in2015 so now it's #15in2015 x 2! We want YOU to be part of the #15in2015 x 2 retailers including models with disabilities in 2015. We're thrilled to take part in the #IAMREADY  campaign by  Changing the Face of Beauty to promote inclusion in advertising. We believe everyone should see themselves reflected in all aspects of their community

  • image description . Photograph of Maysoon Zayid, woman with long brown hair . She is smiling and wearing a black tank top. White text reads "MAYSOON ZAYID" . In upper right hand corner of image there is a turquoise circle with white text that reads "Must Watch"

I Got 99 Problems..Palsy Is Just One- Maysoon Zayid on Ted

“People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and we are the most under-represented in entertainment.” Maysoon Zayid

Doll Diversity Isn’t Just Child’s Play – Dolls with Disabilities

As a little girl, I had a doll collection that took over nearly every inch of toy storage space in my room. I loved them all, especially my two most prized dolls - a My Twinn Doll and a My American Girl Doll, both made to look "just like me." And there was a indeed a striking resemblance between me and the dolls. We had matching brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, and even a matching freckle above our lips. There's just one thing that didn't quite match: my dolls stood upright in their plastic doll stands while I sat in

Pro Infirmis Mannequins Video Shows Bodily Diversity is Beautiful

A trip to the mall bombards me with unattainable ideals of “perfection” everywhere I turn. Mannequins of one standard body shape and size taunt me in each store I enter, all of them wearing clothing that won’t look anything on me like it does on them. Their plastic bodies are tall and thin; I am less than 5 feet with more than my fair share of curves. They stand in casual poses; I am sitting in my wheelchair. To me, mannequins are not always inviting displays. Instead, they’re nothing more than sculptures of a supposedly idyllic body type that I

I Am Disabled and I Am Proud

‎"Polite society often tells us that we need to take the 'dis' out of disability, but maybe... just maybe, we should spend some time putting it back in. Take the "dis" out of disability and you remove the core of what has shaped my life. Disability puts the "D" in diversity, but in order to make that a real difference we've got to own that spot. It took me 35 years to respect and honor that truth. Others shouldn't have to wait that long..." Lawrence Carter-Long

Rion Paige on X Factor

Rion Paige blew everyone away at the "X Factor" audition. This beautiful, charismatic 13 year old has an absolutely incredible voice and exudes such confidence and poise it’s hard to believe she ‘s only 13. Rion has arthogryposis multiplex congenta which causes joint contractures and vision loss. Rion spoke about her audition on the "X Factor", “Ever since I was little I‘d just try to find a way to get to a microphone, put it in between my knees and try to get it in my foot, put it in my mouth. But sometimes I just get really frustrated whenever

People With Disabilities Practically Absent from Marketing Campaigns

ABC.com reports that despite sporadic appearances in the media and marketing campaigns, people with disabilities are still largely absent, and that many people feel that marketers in particular are losing out because of it. Blaming the absence of people with disabilities in marketing campaigns on "a combination of ignorance, caution, and fear," advocates feel that a concentrated campaign to have people with disabilities included in advertising is necessary, similar to past campaigns to have minorities included in advertising. 57 000 000 Americans have a disability, and as a group their spending power is $200 to $500 billion. They're definitely a

Free Your Mind and the Rest Will Follow

Awesome ASL version of En Vogue's 'Free Your Mind'. "Before you can see me you've got to learn how to read me. Free your mind and the rest will follow."

ASL Video “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Great ASL translation of Taylor Swift's song!

“The Story of Luke” Brings Autism to the Big Screen

But my question is, where are autistic people in the creation of the movie and the movie itself? The representation of autism and disability in film should include the actual voices of autistic people.

April and Autism Acceptance at Tampa Theatre

Get your advocacy on. April and Autism Acceptance is in Tampa. The rock stars of disability advocacy- Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette- are back.

Ollibean Art for Change at USF: April. Autism. Advocacy. Acceptance.

A day of inclusive education, community acceptance, and self-advocacy at USF with Academy Award Winning Director and Stars of the Acclaimed Documentary Wretches & Jabberers, NCIE's Mary Schuh, PhD, and Tampa advocate Henry Frost. CARD (The Center for Autism and Related Disorders) at the University of South Florida) will host at USF's Marshall Hall.

‘Switched at Birth’ Goes Silent to Make a Point

"Until hearing people walk a day in our shoes, they will never understand," says a guidance counselor a high school for deaf students in "Switched at Birth."

Love is in the Air – Media Profiles People with Disabilities

Bill’s and Shelley’s path to marriage is not unlike many others who fall in love, lose touch as life takes its turns, and reconnect later in life when the time is right.

‘Impaired Perceptions’ – Photographer Brian Steel Fights Ableism

"The overall message is that you cannot tell what a person is capable of or what their life is like simply by looking at them. " Brian Steel

  • Picture of a smiling woman with light brown hair in a pony tail,she is wearing a purple shirt with a black jacket. the text reads "It's the hardest thing to put up with."

No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools

No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools.

Get Schooled: Jack Black Rocks “Sensitive”

AUTISM IS AWESOMISM . LOVE this video performed by the incredible Wyatt Isaacs (Autism the Musical), Jack Black, Stephen Stills from the Miracle Project Benefit.

Turner Classic Movies Showcases Films About Disability

TCM to Examine Hollywood's Depiction of People with Disabilities in The Projected Image: A History of Disability in Film in October Lawrence Carter-Long Joins TCM's Robert Osborne for Historic Month-Long Film Exploration, Presented in Collaboration with

On Beauty

We are in love with 'On Beauty" the documentary by Joanna Rudnick. She follows the talented Rick Guidotti as he challenges public perception of difference and beauty through the lives of three exquisite women.

The Miracle Project

Check out this trailer from the Emmy winning documentary, The Miracle Project. We should ALL have the opportunity to perform, participate, and find our gifts. Get involved with The Miracle Project ww.themiracleproject.org.

Sprout

For more information about incredible films related to disabilities, check out Sprout, programs for people with disabilities. Sproutflix features films from around the world that focus on the lives and accomplishments of people with developmental disabilities.

The Pearls Project-Teaching Empathy

Students at Ridgewood High School were shown photos of young people with genetic disorders and told not to look away. The unusual lessons are part of a new effort, called the Pearls Project, to promote tolerance and empathy in a school culture where being different can mean social exile. Ridgewood teachers developed it this year in partnership with Positive Exposure, a nonprofit group in New York City founded by Rick Guidotti, a fashion photographer. “Genetic conditions are depicted as images of sickness and sorrow — it’s always a kid up against the wall in a doctor’s office,” Mr. Guidotti said.

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