Marlee Matlin Discusses Underrepresentation of People With Disabilities in Film and TV

Actress Marlee Matlin, the only deaf performer to win an Academy Award, was joined by Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, to discuss the underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry.

Moderated in a panel by Variety‘s Tim Gray at the Variety Inclusion Summit, the trio talked about how only 3% of roles in TV and film are characters with disabilities, despite the group making up 20% of the U.S. population. In addition, 95% of characters with disabilities are played by able-bodied performers.