Media Portrayal Of Mental Health And Intellectual Disability - Best Practices
Born to Act Players, Los Angeles, California, USA, is a unique theater company comprised of professional performers with and without disabilities, including actors with Down Syndrome. Actors' credits include ER, The Guardian, CSI, Family Law, Any Day Now, and other films and series. More information is available at: http://www.borntoactplayers.com/.
Culture! Disability! Talent!, Berkeley, California, USA, is a non-profit, collaborative organization that works to transform disability stereotypes by providing access and opportunities for performers and media-makers with disabilities. Comprised of disability cultural artists, activists, and allies, CDT promotes artistic excellence and diversity by presenting disability cultural events. Its primary activities are: SUPERFEST International Disability Film Festival, Ever Widening Circle, and the Alliance for Representative Theatre (ART), formerly Professional Enrichment Program). More information is available at: http://www.culturedisabilitytalent.org/.
Down Syndrome in Arts and Media, Hollywood, California, USA, is a database of talented people with DS and of the training available to them in the field of media and arts. The site aims to connect casting directors with actors, event planners with public speakers and entertainers, set decorators with visual artists, and publishers with poets and writers, who have DS or other developmental disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.dsiam.org/.
Mental Health Media, London, United Kingdom, is developing and delivering a range of projects which aim to educate people to take action. Its projects give people with experience of mental distress the confidence, skills, and resources to challenge discrimination, and speak out about their experiences. MHM works with journalists and broadcasters to inform their coverage of mental health issues. It also runs the annual Mental Health Media Awards that recognize and celebrate television and radio programs about mental health which have the power to change minds and lives. More information is available at: http://www.mhmedia.com/.
National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ), Brookline, Massachusetts, USA, is an independent, impartial journalism education organization. Its mission is to work with journalists and educators on disability reporting issues in order to produce more accurate, fair, and diverse news reporting. More information is available at: http://www.ncdj.org/index.php.
Oska Bright, London, United Kingdom, is a unique film festival run by and for people with learning disabilities. Six artists and filmmakers with learning disabilities manage the festival, working with Carousel and Junk TV and supported by the NGO Mencap. More information is available at: http://www.carousel.org.uk/.
TV-Glad, Copenhagen, Denmark, is the first TV-station in the world for and by people with intellectual disabilities. It has approximately 130 employees distributed over six branches in Denmark. Additional local branches are about to open in Denmark and abroad. TV-Glad broadcasts its 30 minute-long programs on various local TV-channels, and can be viewed by approximately one third of the Danish population. More information is available at: http://www.tv-glad.dk/.