Primetime Characters

In our class discussion we talked about the number of white primetime characters versus the number of African American, or Latino ones, as well as the number of women versus men. We also briefly touched on the number of gay characters and doing a bit more research trying to find the most current numbers, I came across a report released by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in 2010. It stated another interesting fact I hadn't thought about. Out of the 587 series-regular roles on scripted primetime TV, only 6 of them have disabilities. What was even more striking was the fact that only one of the six actors portraying someone with a disability actually had one him-/herself.

This made me think of our discussion of the early portrayal of African Americans and how it used to be white males with painted faces. How come the networks don't employ actors with disabilities out there if the role calls for it, yet they make an able-bodied person pretend. Something is very wrong with that picture. According to the article that published these results, there are plenty of actors with disabilities looking for auditions and roles. Sometimes the type of character they are able to play is limited by their disability, so depriving these actors and actresses of the few roles that call for someone with a disability seems illogical. Just like we don't have whites play African Americans anymore, we should give people with disabilities their shot at being on primetime TV.