The Ruderman White Paper on Authentic Representation in Television 2018

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Foreword This white paper study examines the state of authentic representation in television, which follows up and expands on our 2016 white paper on employment of actors with disabilities in television by encompassing all television shows aired in 2018.

In our exploration of 284 shows across 37 television networks and four streaming platforms, we have found that among network television, 22% of all characters with disabilities were portrayed authentically by an actor with the same disability. Among streaming services, 20% of characters with disabilities were authentically cast.

While our findings indicate that the entertainment industry has indeed made some degree of progress on authentic casting over the past two years, disability remains glaringly absent from Hollywood’s discourse on diversity. Even where disability is present in television and films, it is almost always portrayed as an undesired, depressing and limiting state. This misrepresentation influences public perception of disability and people with disabilities.

We believe our study provides Hollywood with unprecedented empirical evidence that now is the time to offer more unique narratives and diverse characters in order to foster a more inclusive landscape. At a time when the entertainment industry is advocating for inclusion, it is crucial that we continue to advance the cultural recognition of people with disabilities and create more opportunities for them in television and film.

Jay Ruderman President Ruderman Family Foundation

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Authentic Representation in Television 2018

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 4 Section 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 6 Section 2: Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………….…Page 9 2.1 Characters and Disability……………………………………………………………………………….Page 9 2.2 Sample…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 9 2.3 Networks and Streaming Services………………………………………………………………….Page 10 2.4 Comparative Exploration between 2016/2018…………………………………………..….Page 10 2.5 Research Limitations………………………………………………………………………………..…...Page 11 Section 3: Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………….…...Page 12 3.1 Authentic Casting for Characters with Disabilities……………………………………..…..Page 12 3.2 Authentic Representation by Type of Disability………………………………………….....Page 19 3.3 Data Revisited: Authentic Representation in the Top Ten Shows 2016/2018 …Page 21 3.4 Authentic Representation of Disability and Intersectionality………………………….Page 25 Section 4: Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 27 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 28 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….Page 30 Appendix A: List of Networks 2018……………………………………………………………………..…..Page 30 Appendix B: List of Shows 2018……………………………………………………………………………….Page 31

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List of Charts and Tables Chart 1: Percentage of Shows Looked at that Included a Character with a Disability By Network Page 12 Chart 2: Characters with Disabilities by Type of Casting; Networks………………………………….Page 13 Chart 3: Characters with Disabilities by Type of Casting; Streaming…………………………………Page 13 Chart 4: Authentic Representation of Disability by Shows……………………………………………….Page 14 Chart 5: Authentic Casting by Number and Share of Shows…………………………………………….Page 15 Chart 6: Authentic Casting by Network/Streaming Service………………………………………………Page 16 Chart 7: Authentic Representation by Type of Disability………………………………………………….Page 20 Chart 8: Characters with Disabilities Portrayed Authentically By Streaming Platform………Page 24 Chart 9: Frequency of Authentically Cast Characters……………………………………………………….Page 25

List of Tables Table 1: Authentic Characters with Disabilities by Network and Show………………………Pages 17-19 Table 2: Authentic Representation in the Top Ten Shows on Television………………………….Page 21 Table 3: Authentic Representation in the Top Streaming Shows……………………………………..Page 22 Table 4: Casting and Authentic Casting by Streaming Service………………………………………….Page 23

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Authentic Representation in Television 2018 Executive Summary Ø We explored 284 shows across 37 networks and four streaming platforms, using the 2018 Deadline seasonal schedule guide and the Watchdog Scorecard.1 Ø The narrative of disability is present across networks and streaming services: more than half (55%) of network television shows and almost half (42%) of streaming services had characters with disabilities. More than half of these characters had mental disabilities and a third had physical disabilities, while the rest had cognitive disabilities. Ø Overall, 56 characters were authentically portrayed by actors with disabilities. While the proportion stayed the same, the networks cast a higher number of actors with disabilities. Ø Among network television, 22% of all characters with disabilities were portrayed authentically by an actor with the same disability. This percentage included 45 authentically represented characters with disabilities across 33 shows. Ø Among streaming services, 20% of characters were authentically portrayed by actors with disabilities. This percentage included 11 authentically represented characters with disabilities. Ø Together, the final count of authentically represented characters for 2018 was 56, with an average of 21.6% of characters being portrayed authentically across networks and streaming services. Ø 71% of all authentic representation portrayed physical disabilities; 16% of authentic casting depicted mental disabilities and 13% represented intellectual disabilities. Ø Two shows were major sources of authentic representation: “This Close” by Sundance Now and “Atypical” by Netflix. Both shows centered on the lives of people who have disabilities and accounted for 16% of all authentic casting. “This Close” follows a couple who are deaf that are portrayed authentically. The show contains 9% of the authentic characters we found in our sample. Netflix’s “Atypical” had four young adults, all on the autism spectrum, accounting for 7% of the authentically portrayed characters. Ø The leading networks for authentic casting were CBS with 14 authentic casts, NBC with eight authentic casts and Sundance Now with five. While the authentic casting on CBS and NBC was spread across multiple shows, authentic casting on Sundance Now came all from one show, “This Close.”

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The Watchdog Scorecard was created by the SAG-AFTRA National Performers With Disabilities Committee in 2009 and for the last ten years they’ve recorded the performers in television with disabilities. The current committee chair is Anita Hollander.

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Ø Netflix leads the streaming platforms with eight characters who were authentically represented, followed by Amazon Prime with three authentic characters. Hulu and YouTube TV had zero authentically cast characters in 2018. Ø Data for the top 10 network TV shows for 2018 compared to top 10 shows in 2016 2 indicates progress in authentic casting in the past two years. In 2018, 12% of all characters with disabilities were authentically cast3, marking an increase from the 5% representation rate found in 2016. Ø Data for the top original shows in streaming services4 suggests a decrease in authentic representation. In 2018, 12.5% of characters with disabilities were portrayed authentically, compared to 17.6% in 2016. Top 14 original streaming shows included 16 characters with disabilities, but only two were cast authentically. Ø Nearly three-quarters (71%) of actors with disabilities who were cast authentically participated in under five episodes in television and streaming shows. Ø The most under-represented sub-group within the authentically portrayed characters are actors who identify as LGBTQ, reaching less than 2% of actors with disabilities cast for roles of characters with disabilities. People of color made up 14% of cast actors with disabilities.

Data for 2016 in presented in the Ruderman Family Foundation white paper on “Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television.”

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Top shows taken from Nielson’s List of Top Shows of 2018.

Top shows in streaming services is based on a study conducted by Moffet Nathanson and Harris X, 4

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Section 1: Introduction Disability is absent from Hollywood’s discourse on diversity. Actors with disabilities do not often portray characters with disabilities. People with disabilities remain underrepresented, indicating Hollywood gets disability wrong. In our 2016 study on the employment of actors with disabilities in television, we found that among the top 10 TV shows in the Nielsen ratings, 95% of characters with disabilities were played by able-bodied actors and only 5% of roles were played by actors with disabilities. When it came to non-visible disabilities, 90% of characters with disabilities had non-visible disabilities.5 In recent years, TV shows have also continued to misrepresent and reinforce an inaccurate portrayal of disability, although some networks are beginning to effect change. Michael J. Fox’s roles in “The Good Wife” and “The Michael J. Fox Show” helped redefine the narrative of Parkinson’s disease.6 The ABC Family drama series “Switched at Birth” provided further notable content about representation of disability on television by casting actors who are deaf and combining American Sign Language. 7“Special” and “The OA” on Netflix as well as “NCIS: New Orleans” on CBS 8 are all displaying authentic representation and inclusive casting practices and were the inaugural recipients of the Ruderman Seal of Approval.9 Since then, the Ruderman seal has been awarded to Hulu’s “Ramy,” Sundance TV’s “This Close,” Roadside Attractions’ “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” Music Box Films’ “Give Me Liberty,” Netflix’s “Raising Dion” and “Tales of the City,” ABC’s “General Hospital” and BBC/HBO’s “Years and Years.” This trend is spilling over

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Kopic, K., & Woodburn, D. (2016, July). Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television.

Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/employment-of-actors-withdisabilities-in-television/ 6 Wohlmann, A., & Harrison, M. (1970, January 1). To Be Continued: Serial Narration, Chronic Disease and Disability. Retrieved from: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/to-be-continued-serial-narration-chronicdisease-and-disability 7 Haller, B. Switched at Birth: A Game Changer for All Audiences. Retrieved from http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1266 8 Gray, T. (2019, May 6). Ruderman Foundation Salutes Four TV Shows for Disability Depiction, but No Films. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ruderman-foundationdisability-depiction-speechless-special-1203206220/ 9 Ruderman Family Foundation. (2018, August) Inclusion in Entertainment. Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/inclusion-in-entertainment/ 6

and additional networks are including disability in their diversity practices, suggesting a slight increase in authentic representation.10 Nevertheless, inaccurate representation of disability and inequality in casting practices still needs to be addressed by the entertainment community.11 Shows such as “The Witcher” on Netflix,12 “The Good Doctor” on ABC and others indicate the misrepresentation of physical, cognitive and mental health disabilities. Mainly, the portrayal of these characters is stereotypical and inaccurate.13 Even where disability is present in television and films, it is almost always portrayed as an undesired, depressing and limiting state. This misrepresentation affects public perception of disability and people with disabilities, who remain highly underrepresented and misrepresented in television. A gap remains between the progress made towards representation of mental disabilities and the little, if any progress made on physical and cognitive disabilities.

Producers, directors, writers, casting directors and showrunners build on stereotypical myths of disability and reinforce misrepresentation through their productions. Enabling inauthentic representation underlines the subtext of disability as a negative and limiting existence. Yet through authentic representation, inclusive casting and increased opportunities for people with disabilities both in front of the camera and behind it, the entertainment industry can transform media representation of disability and reshape disability-oriented culture.

By offering unique narratives and diverse characters, Hollywood can enhance disability representation and foster a more inclusive industry. As the entertainment industry focuses its discourse on diversity, the missing part of this conversation is disability.14 This paper provides an up-to-date exploration of authentic representation of disability in television. By following up on our 2016 study and by developing our research to include all television shows aired on 2018, we 10

GLAAD. (2018) Where We Are on TV. Retrieved from http://glaad.org/files/WWAT/WWAT_GLAAD_2018-2019.pdf 11

Morgan, J. (2018, June 11). Has autism found a place in mainstream TV? Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1474442218302369 12 OKeeffe, J. (2019, June 12). This Netflix Series Is Facing Some Backlash From The Autism Community. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/what-does-the-autism-communitythink-about-atypical-the-netflix-series-is-facing-some-backlash-75533 13 Nordahl-Hansen, A., Tøndevold, M., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2018, April). Mental health on screen: A DSM-5 dissection of portrayals of autism spectrum disorders in film and TV. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28843629 14 Hunt. D et al. (2018). Hollywood Diversity Report 2019. Retrieved from: https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/UCLA-Hollywood-DiversityReport-2019-2-21-2019.pdf 7

bring forward the state of disability inclusion in American television. At a time when the entertainment industry is advocating for diversity and inclusion, it is crucial that we produce data which advances the cultural recognition of people with disabilities.

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Section 2: Methodology The scope of our research included reviewing the presence of authentic casting for characters with a disability in 2018 television shows across networks and streaming services, in addition to exploring the scope of authentic casting for characters with disabilities.

2.1 Characters and Disability We explored characters with a speaking role, defined in this study as a character with at least five speaking lines, that appeared on the show during the 2018 season. If a character had a disability that was mentioned in previous seasons and it was still relevant to their storyline, then the character was counted.

2.2 Sample We created our sample by exploring American shows aired by TV networks and original shows created by streaming services. We used the comprehensive Deadline lists of TV shows aired per season in 2018; for winter and spring premieres,15 summer premieres,16 and fall.17 These lists included the dates that new original shows air on streaming platforms, in addition to the regular network TV schedule, resulting in 249 total shows documented. We supplemented this list with 20 children’s shows, as these were absent from TV schedule guides. In addition, we added seven shows from YouTube TV which were not included on the original Deadline lists and eight shows from the SAG AFTRA PWD Committee’s Media Watchdog Report,18 compiled by PWD Committee Chair Anita Hollander, which include self-reporting or casting opportunities of actors with disabilities. Our sample focused on scripted, dramatized shows and excluded any docuseries, reality shows or animated shows.

The final sample included 284 shows which were individually reviewed to document the presence of disability on screen as a narrative and in the form of authentic representation. For 15

Pedersen, E. (2017, December 25). Midseason Premiere Dates For New And Returning Series: 2018 Edition. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2017/12/midseason-tv-premiere-dates2018-new-returning-shows-list-1202160770/ 16 Pedersen, E. (2018, May 23). Summer Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series: 2018 Edition. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2018/05/summer-premiere-dates-for-newreturning-series-2018-edition-1202234265/ 17 Pedersen, E. (2018, August 17). Fall Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2018/08/fall-tv-premiere-dates-2018new-returning-shows-list-1202413537/ 18 SAG-AFTRA PWD Media Watchdog Report, created by the SAG-AFTRA National Performers With Disabilities Committee in 2009 during the IAMPWD Campaign (Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People With Disabilities).

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that purpose, we explored the affiliation of cast actors with the form of disability they played on the show. We documented disabilities according to three categories — physical, intellectual and mental disabilities based on the ADA's standard for disabilities19.

2.3 Networks and Streaming Services The following 37 networks and four streaming platforms were reviewed:

2.4 Comparative Exploration Between 2016/2018 A secondary analysis focused on an updated version of our 2016 white paper20, “Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television.” That paper reviewed the top 10 shows on television in 2016 based on Nielsen’s ratings list.21 In this research, we reviewed the 2018 Nielsen’s list of the top 10 TV shows22 which were not docuseries, reality shows or animated, and compared the results for authentic representation across the top TV shows. In order to generate a broader comparative review, we explored the top original shows aired in 2018 on streaming

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Americans With Disabilities Act. (2019, August 29). What is the definition of disability under the ADA? Retrieved from https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada 20 Kopic, K., & Woodburn, D. (2016, July). Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television. Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/employment-of-actorswith-disabilities-in-television/ 21 Top 10s: Tv Ratings, Music, Video Games, Social. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.neilsen.com/us/en/top-ten/ 22 Top 10s: TV Ratings, Music, Video Games, Social. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/top-ten/ 10

services. In our 2016 study, a Tom’s Guide list of the Best Shows23 was utilized. For 2018, we could not locate an updated version and therefore used the method offered by Moffet Nathanson and Harris X24, who listed some of the top original shows of 2018 produced by streaming services. We used their findings to compile a list of the top shows by streaming services.

2.5 Research Limitations These research findings have several limitations, which are detailed below.

First, the research process aimed to provide a comprehensive portrayal of authentic representation in TV shows. Every possible effort was made to include all television shows airing on U.S. networks and streaming companies during the research period. However, there is a small possibility that some shows were left out of the sample.

Second, in addition to researching the cast for each TV show, a sample of episodes were viewed to identify the authentic casting of actors with disabilities. As a result of this process, some characters might not have been identified.

Third, data collected for actors with disabilities is based on self-reporting of these actors. Our analysis is based on these self-reports and the categorization of types of disabilities is similarly presented in this paper. In cases where disabilities were not self-reported by actors, we could not identify if the casting is authentic or not.

Fourth, this research focuses on authentic casting by type of disability. It does not provide overall trends of casting actors with disabilities to various roles, including characters with and without disabilities. This situation results, in part, from the absence of a database of working actors with disabilities.

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Honorof, M. (2019, May 14). Best Original Shows on Hulu in May 2019 - Our Favorite Hulu Originals. Retrieved from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-hulu-originals,review6471.html 24 Spangler, T. (2019, July 17). Netflix Subscribers Say 'Orange Is the New Black,' 'Stranger Things' Are Their Favorite Shows on the Service. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-orange-is-the-new-black-stranger-things-mostpoular-1203267573/ 11

Section 3: Findings 3.1 Authentic Casting for Characters with Disabilities Our exploration suggests that the narrative of disability is present across television shows and is being actively written into storylines and scripts by both network TV and original productions by streaming services. More than half (55%) of network television shows had characters with disabilities in 2018, in addition to almost half (42%) of shows by streaming services. More than half of these characters had mental disabilities and a third had physical disabilities, with the rest possessing cognitive disabilities. Chart 1 summarizes the total numbers of characters with disabilities across networks.

Chart 1: Percentage of Shows Examined that Included a Character with a Disability by Network

Some networks did not incorporate characters with disabilities in their shows for 2018, including: Bounce TV, Bravo, Cinemax, DC Universe, E!, OWN, Shudder, and Sony Crackle. All original shows from streaming services had characters with disabilities, although not all of them were authentically cast. Overall, 56 characters were authentically portrayed by actors with disabilities, yielding an average of 21.6% of authentic representation rate for 2018. Chart 2 presents the balance between authentic and inauthentic casting for 2018: 12

Charts 2 & 3: Characters with Disabilities by Type of Casting

These charts suggest that there is a similar average percentage of authentic representation across network television and streaming services. But in absolute numbers, because the networks are producing more original content than streaming services, they have higher numbers of cast actors. Overall, network television cast 45 actors with disabilities to play characters with disabilities, compared to 11 actors with disabilities among streaming services.

When exploring the data on authentic representation by number of shows, the findings are grim.

Only 14% of 2018 TV shows had some form of authentic casting for roles of characters with disabilities. Chart 3 presents the percentage of shows with authentic representation.

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Chart 4: Authentic Representation of Disability by Shows

A deeper examination of the findings suggests that the networks had 45 authentically cast characters with disabilities across 33 shows, resulting in a 22% rate of authentic representation.

Streaming services combined to cast 11 characters authentically across six shows, resulting in a 20% rate of authentic representation.

The top networks were CBS with 14 authentic casts, NBC with eight authentic casts and Sundance Now with five. While CBS and NBC had the authentic casts spread across multiple shows, Sundance Now had all authentic characters coming from one show, “This Close.� Netflix leads the streaming platforms with eight characters who were authentically represented, followed by Amazon Prime with three authentic characters. Chart 5 presents the top networks and streaming services by number of shows and their share of overall network shows for 2018.

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Chart 5: Authentic Casting by Number and Share of Shows

This chart suggests that the number of shows including authentic casting varied between networks and streaming services. CBS had the highest share of shows which included actors with disabilities (35%), followed by NBC (33%). A linear connection between the number of shows and authentic casting is absent from the findings, meaning that a higher number of shows did not result in higher levels of authentic casting. For example, while Netflix had 50 original shows, only 10% of its shows had some form of authentic casting for disability. Fourteen percent of 14 Fox shows made at least one authentic casting decision.

As for the number of authentically cast characters, the data suggests that networks and streaming services with more authentic shows also exhibited higher levels of authentic cast for those shows. Actors with disabilities cast authentically were hired to play a variety of roles, with a mix of recurring and guest roles. Chart 6 presents the number of actors with disabilities cast to play a character with a disability in the 2018 shows across networks and streaming services.

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Chart 6: Authentic Casting by Network/Streaming Service

As presented in the chart, among networks, CBS produced the highest number of actors with disabilities who were authentically cast (36%). NBC had a similar rate of authentic representation (33.3%). CW, FX, TNT and FOX had the lowest percentage of authentic representation of all networks. Netflix was ranked third among the entire sample and led streaming services on authentic representation.

The following table presents the list of authentic casting by network and streaming services for 2018, including show titles as well as names of characters and actors.

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Table 1: Authentic Characters with Disabilities by Network and Show

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Two shows were major sources of authentic representation: Atypical by Netflix and “This Close”

by Sundance Now. Both shows centered on the lives of people who have disabilities and accounted for 16% of all authentic casting. “This Close” follows a couple who are deaf that are portrayed authentically. The show contains 9% of the authentic characters we found in our sample. Netflix’s Atypical had four young adults, all are on the autism spectrum. Atypical, accounting for 7% of the authentic characters.

3.2 Authentic Representation in Television by Type of Disability From our sample for 2018, 71% of all authentically cast characters portrayed physical disabilities, with 16% authentic casting covering mental disabilities and 13% depicting intellectual disabilities.

Chart 7 presents the distribution between the types of disabilities presented in authentic characters.

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Chart 7: Authentic Representation by Type of Disability

Atypical (Netflix) includes a fictional character of a teen named Sam with autism that seeks a romantic relationship. In the season that aired in 2018, Sam joins a peer support group of other teens who are also on the autism spectrum. Though Sam is not portrayed authentically, all the members of his new peer group are. 25 Spencer Harte who played Sabrina in the second season had previously been a guest in NBC’s Parenthood which ended in 2015. She has a love for singing and the opera which she was able to incorporate into her role on Atypical as she performs a song.

The finding that physical disabilities are the most common disabilities which are authentically cast can be attributed to the fact that these are visible disabilities, meaning whether or not a character is authentically portrayed is more apparent to viewers.

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A featurette posted to Netflix’s YouTube account showed a look behind the scenes with these actors, all of which are acting in their first large role.

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The Sundance Now show, This Close, centers around how two friends in their 30s are handling relationships and career changes as they settle into adulthood. The two main characters are deaf, there are also several deaf supporting characters and an emphasis on how disabilities impact people’s lives. Josh Feldman plays Michael Rosen and Shoshannah Stern plays Kate.

Supporting cast and guest appearances include Nyle DiMarco, Marlee Matlin and RJ Mitte. The strong diverse cast highlights the show’s dedication to telling stories about people with disabilities.

CW’s “Supergirl” features Melissa Benoit as Kara Denver aka Supergirl. Benoit revealed in 2017 that she’s struggled with anxiety and depression since she was 13 years old. She did this using Chris Wood’s website “I Don’t Mind” to help end the stigma surrounding mental illness. In her hit show, her character experiences an anxiety attack in a moment that highlighted the issue of mental health and how even a super hero can experience it.

3.3 Data Revisited: Authentic Representation in the Top Ten Shows, 2016/2018 A subset of the data was used to create a replication of our research on authentic representation presented in the 2016 white paper on “Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television.” Our new research shows a positive trend on authentic casting in the past two years. In 2018, 12% of all characters with disabilities were authentically cast among the top 10 shows from Nielson’s List of Top Shows of 2018. This represents an increase from the 5% representation rate found in our 2016 study. While 12% represents an increase in the number of authentically cast actors, among 17 characters with disabilities in the top 10 shows, only two were authentically cast by actors with disabilities. Table 2 presents authentic casting for top television shows.

Table 2: Authentic Representation in the Top Shows on Television

The two authentic castings for 2018 top shows were Gavin McHugh from “9-1-1” on Fox and Chrissy Metz from “This is Us” on NBC. 21

A replication of our 2016 exploration of the top original shows in streaming services, utilizing a study conducted by Moffet Nathanson and Harris X, suggests a decrease in levels of authentic representation. In 2018, 12.5% of characters with disabilities on streaming services original productions were portrayed authentically, compared to 17.6% in 2016. The top 14 original streaming shows included 16 characters with disabilities, but only two were cast authentically.

Table 3 presents authentic casting for top original shows by streaming services.

Table 3: Authentic Representation in the Top Streaming Shows

One of the two authentic characters on the Top Shows in Streaming category is Coyote Bergstein played by Ethan Embry from Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. On the show, Embry plays the son of a main character who has been struggling with addiction. In May of 2017, Embry came out as having struggled with addiction in his past.

A deeper look into the data for streaming services reveals a significant gap between Netflix and other services like Amazon Prime, YouTube TV and Hulu. Table 4 presents the breakdown of casting and authentic casting data for streaming services.

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Table 4: Casting and Authentic Casting by Streaming Service

As suggested in the chart, in absolute numbers Netflix had the highest number of actors with disabilities who were cast authentically (eight), while Hulu and YouTube TV had no authentic casting in 2018. Amazon was at the top of the sample in terms of authentic casting as a proportion of its characters with disabilities. However, because of the gap in the number of shows (50 shows for Netflix and nine shows for Amazon), the significance of authenticity lies in absolute numbers of authentically cast actors. Chart 8 portrays the gaps between rating streaming services by absolute numbers and by share of shows with authentic casting.

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Chart 8: Characters with Disabilities Portrayed Authentically by Streaming Platform

When it comes to the frequency of appearances by actors with disabilities in authentic roles, the findings suggest that almost 30% of actors have appeared in one episode, and a total of 45% appeared in three or fewer episodes. Only 15% of actors appeared in six or more episodes.

Chart 8 breaks down the frequency of appearance by actors with disabilities for authentic roles.

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Chart 9: Frequency of Authentically Cast Characters

As indicated in this chart, 71% of authentically represented characters were featured in less than 10 episodes and only 16% of authentic characters appeared in more than 20 episodes per show.

3.4 Authentic Representation of Disability and Intersectionality The largest category of authentic characters was children and teenagers, with 11 of the 56 characters being children or young adults (19.6%). As often occurs in Hollywood, several of these characters were not played by actors who are the true age they are representing.

The next-most prevalent trait was people of color, with eight out of 56 authentic characters portrayed by people of color (14.29%). Two of the eight characters were played by Daryl Mitchell. He starred in both AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” as Wendell and in CBS’s “NCIS: New Orleans” as Patton Plame. Another example is E.R. Ruiz, who guest starred in CBS’s “SWAT” as Jax. 25

The smallest shared characteristic that we found among the authentic actors was identifying as LGBTQ. Only 1.79% — amounting to one of the 56 characters — were played by someone who identifies as LGBTQ. That single actor was Josh Feldman, who played Michael Rosen on Sundance Now’s “This Close.”

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Section 4: Summary This comprehensive research explored 284 shows across 37 networks and four streaming platforms. We found an average authentic representation rate of nearly 22% across networks and streaming services who cast actors with disabilities to play the roles of characters with disabilities. For network television shows, 45 out of 203 characters with disabilities being played authentically, whereas on streaming platforms 11 out of 56 character were played authentically.

Despite the fact that the narrative of disability is present across networks and streaming services, only 56 characters were authentically portrayed by actors with disabilities in 2018 shows. While the proportion remain the same, the networks cast a higher number of actors with disabilities.

In addition, a strong majority (71%) of authentic casting focused on an authentic portrayal of physical disabilities.

Of all networks and streaming services, those who produce the highest number of shows such as NBC, CBS and Netflix had a higher number of authentic casting decisions, but at times a lower share of shows which practiced authentic casting. Other channels with a low number of shows like Sundance Now exhibited a stronger focus on authentic casting, with niche shows revolving around a disability theme and high rates of authentic casting.

A mild increase in the rate of authentic representation was found across the top 10 shows, rising from 5% in 2016 to 12% in 2018. On the contrary, a decrease was noted among the top 10 shows from streaming services, from 17.6% in 2016 to 12.5% in 2018. The majority of actors with disabilities (71%) who were cast authentically participated in under five episodes in television and streaming show.

Finally, some forms of intersectionality were evident in the findings for 2018. The most underrepresented sub-group within the authentically portrayed characters was actors who identify as LGBTQ, reaching under 2% of actors with disabilities cast for roles of characters with disabilities.

People of color made up 14% of cast actors with disabilities.

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Bibliography Americans With Disabilities Act. (2019, August 29). What is the definition of disability under the ADA? Retrieved from https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada GLAAD. (2018) Where We Are on TV. Retrieved from http://glaad.org/files/WWAT/WWAT_GLAAD_2018-2019.pdf Gray, T. (2019, May 6). Ruderman Foundation Salutes Four TV Shows for Disability Depiction, but No Films. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ruderman-foundationdisability-depiction-speechless-special-1203206220/ Haller, B. Switched at Birth: A Game Changer for All Audiences. Retrieved from http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1266 Honorof, M. (2019, May 14). Best Original Shows on Hulu in May 2019 - Our Favorite Hulu Originals. Retrieved from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-hulu-originals,review6471.html Hunt. D et al. (2018). Hollywood Diversity Report 2019. Retrieved from: https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/UCLA-Hollywood-DiversityReport-2019-2-21-2019.pdf Kopic, K., & Woodburn, D. (2016, July). Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television.

Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/employment-of-actors-withdisabilities-in-television/ Morgan, J. (2018, June 11). Has autism found a place in mainstream TV? Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1474442218302369 Nordahl-Hansen, A., Tøndevold, M., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2018, April). Mental health on screen: A DSM-5 dissection of portrayals of autism spectrum disorders in film and TV. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28843629 OKeeffe, J. (2019, June 12). This Netflix Series Is Facing Some Backlash From The Autism Community. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/what-does-the-autism-communitythink-about-atypical-the-netflix-series-is-facing-some-backlash-75533 Pedersen, E. (2017, December 25). Midseason Premiere Dates For New And Returning Series: 2018 Edition. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2017/12/midseason-tv-premiere-dates2018-new-returning-shows-list-1202160770/ Pedersen, E. (2018, May 23). Summer Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series: 2018 Edition. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2018/05/summer-premiere-dates-for-newreturning-series-2018-edition-1202234265/ Pedersen, E. (2018, August 17). Fall Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2018/08/fall-tv-premiere-dates-2018new-returning-shows-list-1202413537/ Ruderman Family Foundation. (2018, August) Inclusion in Entertainment. Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org/inclusion-in-entertainment/ 28

SAG-AFTRA PWD Media Watchdog Report, created by the SAG-AFTRA National Performers With Disabilities Committee in 2009 during the IAMPWD Campaign (Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People With Disabilities).

Spangler, T. (2019, July 17). Netflix Subscribers Say 'Orange Is the New Black,' 'Stranger Things' Are Their Favorite Shows on the Service. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-orange-is-the-new-black-stranger-things-mostpoular-1203267573/ Top 10s: Tv Ratings, Music, Video Games, Social. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.neilsen.com/us/en/top-ten/ Wohlmann, A., & Harrison, M. (1970, January 1). To Be Continued: Serial Narration, Chronic Disease and Disability. Retrieved from: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/to-be-continued-serial-narration-chronicdisease-and-disability

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Appendix

Appendix A: List of Networks and Streaming Services

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Appendix B: List of Shows 2018 1983 9-1-1 12 Monkeys 13 Reasons Why A Million Little Things Adam Ruins Everything Alex, Inc All About the Washingtons All American American Crime Story: Versace American Horror Story American Housewife American Vandal Andi Mack Andi Mack Angie Tribeca Anne with an E Another Period Arrested Development Arrow Ash v Evil Atlanta Robbins Season Atypical Baby Better Call Saul Big Bang Theory Bizaardvark Black Lightning black-ish Blindspot Blue Bloods Bodyguard Bonus Family Bosch Brooklyn 99 Bull Bunk'd Burden of Truth Cable Girls Camping Carter

Castle Rock Charmed Chicago Fire Chicago Med Chicago PD Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Claws Cobra Kai Code Black Colony Coop and Cami Ask the World Cousins for Life Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Criminal Minds Daredevil DC Legends of Tomorrow Deadwax Dear White People Deception Detroiters Diet Land Doctor Who Dogs of Berlin Dynasty Empire Fahrenheit 451 Famous in Love FBI Fear the Walking Dead For the People Foursome Free Rein Fresh off the Boat Frontier Fugitiva Fuller House Ghosted Ghoul Girl Meets World Girlfriends Guide to Divorce Glow

God Friended Me Goliath Gone Grace and Frankie Greenleaf Greys Anatomy Half Life Happy Together Hard Sun Harlots Hawaii Five-0 Henry Danger Homeland House of Cards How to Get Away With Murder Humans Hunter Street I am Frankie I Feel Bad Im Dying Up Here Impulse In the Cut Insatiable Into the Dark Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia iZombie Jack Ryan Jane the Virgin Jessica Jones Just Roll with It KC Undercover Kidding Killing Eve Killyjoys Kiss Me First Knight Squad Last Man Standing Law and Order SVU Legacies Legion Lethal Weapon Life Sentence 31

Little Things Loudermilk Luke Cage MacGyver Madame Secretary Magnum PI Maniac Marcella Marvel's Cloak and Dagger Marvel's Iron Fist Marvel's Runaways Mayans MC Memories of Alhambra Midnight, Texas Modern Family Mom Mozart in the Jungle Mr. Mercedes Murphy Brown Narcos: Mexico Nashville NCIS NCIS: LA NCIS: New Orleans New Amsterdamn Next of Kin No Activity Norsemen Once Upon A Time One Day at a Time Orange is the New Black Origin Outcast Outlander Ozark Patriot Pink Collar Crimes Plan Coeur Pose Power Preacher Prince of Peoria Protector Quantico

Queen of the South Raven's Home Ray Donovan Rel Rise Riverdale Roman Empire: Reign of Blood Room 104 Roseanne Sally4Ever Salvation Santa Clara Diet Scandal Scorpion Seal Team Secret City Sense8 Sesame Street Shades of Blue Shameless Sharp Objects Shooter Sick Note Sideswiped Single Parents Siren Six Snatch Sneaky Pete Speechless Splitting Up Together Star Station 19 Step Up: High Water Strange Angel Stuck in the Middle Succession Suits Supergirl Supernatural Superstore SWAT Tell Me a Story

The 100 The Affair The Alienist The Americans The Arrangement The Bad Seed The Bisexual The Bobby Brown Story The Bold and The Beautiful The Bold Type The Champion Within The Conners The Cool Kids The Crossing The Cry The Flash The Gifted The Goldbergs The Good Cop The Good Doctor The Good Fight The Good Place The Handmaid's Tale The Haunting of Hill House The Innocents The Inspectors The Kids Are Alright The Kominsky Method The Last Kingdom The Little Drummer Girl The Looming Tower The Magicians The Man in the High Castle The Marvelous Ms Maisel The Neighborhood The Originals The Orville The Path The Paynes The Purge The Ranch The Resident The Rookie The Sinner 32

The Tick The Walking Dead This Close This is Us Tidelands Titans Travelers Trial & Error Trust Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Will & Grace Wisdom of the Crowd Wrecked Wynonna Earp You Young & Hungry Young Sheldon Younger Youth & Consequences

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The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and flourishing community. Guided by our Jewish values, we advocate for and advance the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout our society; strengthen the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish Community; and model the practice of strategic philanthropy worldwide. We operate as a non-partisan strategic catalyst in cooperation with government, private sectors, civil society, and philanthropies.

@RudermanFdn

Ruderman Family Foundation

@disabilityisdiversity

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