TV ignores the disabled: study

Performers with disabilities are vastly underrepresented on television shows, are more likely to face discrimination in the workplace and are afraid to ask for special accommodations for fear of losing out on a role, a report commissioned by Screen Actors Guild states.

According to a summary of the report, titled “The Employment of Performers With Disabilities in the Entertainment Industry,” 20% of Americans (54 million) live with a mental or physical disability but fewer than 2% of TV-show characters display a disability, and only 0.5% have speaking roles. The study also found that performers with disabilities are more than 50% more likely to experience workplace discrimination than Americans without disabilities.