Mimicry, Depictions, and Intersectionality – A Look at Disability in Film and Television

When non-disabled people play disabled characters their performances are disabled mimicry. They do not realize the harm they are doing to actual disabled people. The lack of inclusion by disabled people in Hollywood is excessive, and when we are included the disparities for intersectional identities are even worse. It is imperative to understand the problem and the harm this is causing the disability community, so we will explore all of the ways that disability is misrepresented in film and television, and discuss the best ways to fight this grave injustice.

Presented by: UW D Center & Dominick Evans

Please note: Dominick wil be presenting his talk via Skype from his home

Dominick Evans bio: Dominick Evans is a filmmaker, activist, writer, and public speaker. He is the director of the films trip and Nance +Sydney, and works for the Center for Disability Rights as a Media & Entertainment Advocate. Through his job with CDR, he has worked to develop a media guide on disability for journalists, helped develop the Free Our People Film Contest & Festival, and worked on the Live On project, which aims to encourage disabled people to realize the value of their lives, and want to stay alive. Dominick is the founder of FilmDis, a newly created media monitoring nonprofit, which hopes to increase visibility, inclusion, and representation of disability and disabled people in all forms of media.

Dominick received his BFA in Film, and much of his studies, beyond production, were focused on analyzing portrayals of marginalized people in film and television. Since then, he has used his knowledge on disability in the media to speak at multiple universities including NYU, the White House, and at New York Comic Con, where he has been on panels about disability and the media for the past two years. As a multiply disabled, LGBTQ person, Dominick works tirelessly to advocate for the inclusion of multiply marginalized disabled individuals who might otherwise be excluded, even by the mainstream disability community. When he is not working, Dominick enjoys spending time with his writing partner/girlfriend of 14 years, Ashtyn, and their family.