Craig Blankenhorn / Hulu / Courtesy of Everett Collection
Inevitable FoundationThe nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of the disabled film community released a new report Wednesday examining how global disabled audiences continue to be underserved in the streaming and theatrical landscapes, despite representing a large and engaged demographic.
He “The public hopes that Hollywood will give the green light to disability”, a report from the Foundation Research Institute, surveyed more than 1,000 people, both disabled and non-disabled, about the current state of disability and mental health representation on screen.
The findings were as follows:
- 66% of viewers are dissatisfied with current depictions of disability and mental health in film and television.
- 35% of people with disabilities watch more than 20 hours of television per week, compared to 25% of people without disabilities.
- 20% of all audiences would subscribe to a new streaming service and go see more movies in theaters if they included authentic depictions of people with disabilities and mental health issues.
- 40% of audiences, both disabled and non-disabled, are very likely to recommend a film or TV show to friends and family if it shows authentic depictions of disabilities and/or mental health conditions.
The Inevitable Foundation report, which sheds light on the preferences of the general public, comes at a time when, according to the US Census, 20 million American households have at least one disabled family member. Globally, one billion people have a disability, equivalent to 15% of the world’s population. In addition, disabled people contribute $21 billion in discretionary income to the US economy each year, according to the American Research Institute.
Saga Darnell, director of research and public affairs at the Inevitable Foundation, said: “The findings of the Greenlight Disability Report are clear that all audiences – people with and without disabilities – are highly dissatisfied with the film and television options available to them when it comes to disability representation.”
The organization suggests that by investing in authentic disability storytelling and ensuring multidimensional representations of characters with disabilities and mental health issues, entertainment leaders have the opportunity to tap into an underutilized market segment, increasing audience satisfaction and building trust in the process.
The full house Greenlight Disability Report can be found at the link.
