Hi All
Recieved this on another mailbase
Thought it might be of interest
Reply to Roger Singleton and not me please
Cheers
John
------- Forwarded Message
Follows -------Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 18:36:08 +0100
Subject: Disability representation
From: "Roger Singleton-Turner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "The Children and Media Network" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
There is so much to do and to say on the topic of disability that a fairly short email can hardly do more than open a few doors to rooms full of questions - and I hardly dare comment at all because I
On UK TV for children (and TV in general) representation of the disabled has been poor in quantity and of patchy quality.
Budgets limit time.
Finding good child actors is very time-consuming.
If you have a pre-existing script featuring a disabled child, finding a good child actor with a particular disability of the appropriate age, sex and race and stamina is even more time-consuming.
It would make sense to create a part round a disabled child who could act, and write to that person's circumstances. I have the impression that is how the last 'disabled' character entered 'Grange Hi
Casting any individual because of a particular physical or mental attribute rather than because of an ability (and a willingness) to act is, I suspect, of dubious value to anyone.
Excuses? Maybe. Fact? Certainly.
Aspects of safety can also inhibit taking up specific storylines.
There are an awful lot of raw nerves out there, understandably. So I think many of us (in the business) shy away from tackling problems we do not a) understand properly and b) have time to research t
It is all very complex. For instance, it is not true that Film & TV people would not cast people of no disability to play disabled characters. Look at Daniel Day-Lewis in 'My Left Foot', or look at a
I'll stop digging, now, but I'd be interested to read comments.
Roger Singleton-Turner
(Freelance Producer/director specialising in Children's Drama)
Dr John M Davis
Department of Public Health Sciences/
Research Unit in Health and Behavioural Change
The University of Edinburgh
Medical School
Teviot Place
Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
tele 0131 650 3244/6197
fax 0131 650 6909
email [log in to unmask]
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