Jack Dunn The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will launch the Disabilities, Representation and Film program July 13 in commemoration of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in July of 1990.
Organized by Christiana Ybarra, Academy Museum director of education and programming, the day-long event features workshops, Museum tours, panel discussions, film screenings and a live dance performance in hopes of bringing awareness of disability and representation in film. “Becoming disabled can happen to anyone at any time.
When we look at the statistics, one in four people are disabled in this country. It’s a huge demographic that doesn’t get a lot of attention,” Ybarra said. “You don’t see a lot of representation of folks with disabilities on screen.
And so I think, as a film museum, it’s our duty to share those narratives.” Sound designer, producer and Academy Member Jim LeBrecht and celebrity activist Lawrence Carter-Long pitched Ybarra on disability-centered programming.
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