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When The Peanut Butter Falcon star Zack Gottsagen walked onto the Oscars stage in 2020, it was more than a feel-good moment. When he became the first actor with Down syndrome to present an Academy Award, it was a milestone in Hollywood history and a declaration to the world: Beyond race, gender and other factors, disability is part of the definition of diversity.
In fact, anyone who has watched the Academy Awards ceremony or followed the entertainment industry for the past five years has likely noticed the unmistakable progress when it comes to the inclusion of people with disabilities.
CODA took home the awards in 2022 for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role after casting three actors who are deaf—including Troy Kotsur, who became the second actor who is deaf to win an acting Oscar, following Marlee Matlin’s Best Actress Oscar in 1986.
Academy Awards ceremonies in recent years have also implemented several measures toward greater inclusivity that the average viewer may not notice—but they’re still notable improvements.
These developments didn’t transpire out of thin air. At the Ruderman Family Foundation, we took a series of steps both behind the scenes and in the public arena to contribute to the more inclusive environment that we see in today’s entertainment industry. While much more progress still needs to be made in this realm, we believe that our approach to advocacy in Hollywood provides a blueprint for powerful social change. Here are five takeaways from our journey.
Making the Best Bet for Change
For more than two decades, our foundation has committed to advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities across society. But the obvious question is, after all these years, why did we choose to focus on Hollywood?
What it comes down to is the ability to make a pervasive impact. Virtually all of us are affected or influenced by entertainment, which has changed popular culture. Hollywood was our best bet for change on the issue of disability inclusion.
Our foundation started the change-making process by developing relationships with actors and studios. Once we saw changes in attitude taking hold, the entertainment industry’s behavior also began to change. The message here for all activists is to maximize your impact by choosing a high-leverage avenue for changemaking.
Philanthropy Needs To Get Loud
When they work in tandem, philanthropy and advocacy can ignite disruptive change. It’s time we traded big galas for bold action.
For foundations and philanthropic organizations, this means not shying away from public statements that risk stirring controversy. Why don’t they normally do this? Many are too slow. They need to go through an entire process, or it’s simply not natural for them to do it. They respond timidly to major news events or don’t respond at all, often over fear of disappointing donors, grantees and other partners. Others fund advocacy but don’t take it on themselves.
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It may feel uncomfortable, and it’ll break rank with years of alternative practices. But to create disruption and ultimately, prosocial outcomes, philanthropic organizations should embrace the courage to speak up about the causes they believe in through various public channels—from traditional media to social media and more.
Call Out the Industry
Another layer of adopting a more vocal approach to advocacy is being willing to criticize certain aspects of the community you’re trying to change. When you notice the type of injustices that you’re trying to address, take strong stances and use strong language.
I’m not an activist because I’m looking to network or make friends. I’m going to say what I think is right, so I can try to make an impact. When we censor ourselves and fail to speak truth to power, we’re missing a crucial opportunity for accelerating the changemaking process.
But Don’t Burn Bridges, Because You’ll Find Allies in Unlikely Places
At the same time, our foundation learned during our initial years of advocacy in entertainment that it was incumbent upon us to not only put public pressure on the industry, but even more importantly, to build the allies within the industry—the individuals and companies with the access and influence to motivate Hollywood to execute the blueprint for greater inclusion that we set forth.
We circulated open letters signed by prominent actors and pledges signed by leading production studios, all geared toward securing their commitment to offering more auditions and other opportunities for actors with disabilities—especially when it comes to casting the roles of characters who portray the same disabilities. We also worked with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to champion new perspectives on filmmaking and provide a more accessible experience for audiences of all backgrounds.
For any activist, it’s important to be open-minded by understanding that your best partners along the road to change may very well be the same individuals who you were initially criticizing for their failure to implement your values.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Use Data as a Megaphone
Strident public statements will often make a splash and grab attention, on the issue of disability inclusion but ultimately, many of the more moderate or level-headed individuals who you’re trying to win over will be persuaded by facts and data.
In 2016, our foundation sought to send the entertainment industry a wake-up call through precisely that data-driven approach—publishing a white paper that found that at the time, only 5% of top show characters with disabilities on television were played by actors with disabilities.
Then, in 2020, we again used the vehicle of data—but this time to demonstrate the impact of our advocacy. That year, our follow-up study documented that 20% of characters with disabilities on television are portrayed authentically by an actor with the same disability.
Inclusion in Hollywood isn’t just about awards or accolades—it’s about reshaping the stories that shape us all. And if the world’s biggest stage can do it, so can all of every sector in our industry.
