"Breaking the Hollywood Stereotypes of Characters & People with a Disability

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There is a change coming in Hollywood - History is about to be made. I, and all of those who join me, will be a part of what history will record as a new and significant "turning point" in American cinema!

Will you be one of those counted with me?

You can call them "turning points", "milestones", or "groundbreaking break throughs" in American cinema, but there have been some significant periods throughout the industry's history. Some are based on business methods, eras, genres, technologies, and content. Here are just a few - some I took from the FilmSite's Film History, and are in general terms and some more specific:

au·then·tic: (ô-thěn'tĭk)
adj.
1. Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief: an authentic account by an eyewitness.

2. Having a claimed and verifiable origin or authorship; not counterfeit or copied: an authentic medieval sword.
The American Heritage®
Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition

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- Birth of the Industry - The Silent Era

- Talkies

- The Studio System aka: The Golden Age of Hollywood, that included actors, directors, writers under studio contracts

- The War & Post-War Years

- Film Noir

- Era of Epic Films

- Birth & Boom of Television

- Era of Independent "B" Movies & Underground Cinema

- Authentic Black Representation with the first black "Hollywood Star" actor Sidney Poitier, most notably "Blackboard Jungle" through "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?"

- Advent of the Blockbuster Movies, can you say "Jaws"?

- Special Effects become a major movie element, "Star Wars", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

- Teen-Oriented Angst Films

- Dawn of the Sequels

- Women Writers, Directors bring Authetnic Voice and Vision to Women Characters and Plots

- Mainstream Films

- The "Indie" Films & Distribution, Miramax

- Significance & Exploitation of the Film Festivals

- Rise of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

- Era of Remakes and Re-Releases

- Franchise Films

AND the current "turning point" is the Age of Advanced SFX that include 3-D and Performance/Motion Capture

BUT there is one very significant "turning point" that involves content - just as it did for racial and again for women portrayals and representation in American cinema - that is often overlooked, BUT NOT ANYMORE

- the AUTHENTIC VOICE, VISION, PERFORMANCE, and REPRESENTATION of those with a disAbility (that have the ability to represent themselves)

Despite the fact that the disAbility is a significant factor in the IDENTITY of those living with a disAbility, as much if not more than gender, race, or age, movies and television portrayals do not give us the respect that this identity factor has in our lives by nearly always hiring able bodied actors to represent us - that is offensive as they have no idea what it is like. Casting able bodied actors in these roles says that either:

a) being a paraplegic is not that big of a deal and anyone can portray them - or
b) that those living with paraplegia are feable and unable to be actors

- both of which are WRONG and OFFENSIVE - I know - I am a paraplegic from a spinal cord injury - actually the injury completely severed my spinal cord at the middle of my back in 1995! Fortunately I have complete use of my upper body, arms, breathing, etc.

Do you want to see an overview of the BIG PICTURE in Hollywood and the influence its images have on our culture and society in general?

I invite you to Google "Paraplegic Actor" and you will see how many articles and websites are finally talking about how the movies and television portrayals and representations are a big deal. We are on the brink of major changes as it comes to those with a disAbility to finally get a fair and equal opportunity to represent ourselves!

Throughout this website you can see HOW this significant "turning point" in American cinema is going to happen. This is a lot more than just sticking a paraplegic character in the middle of a screenplay, but I have been developing the business model and plan for the past 15 years, and now it is very simple to implement - beginning with the first feature film "London Time" which includes specific and common movie elements that are never combined in the same film that features a character who is a paraplegic. Yes, I am the writer and will be the director once I am able to attach and have the key people join me in this project and cause that will be recognized for its authentic voice, vision, performance and overall representation of paraplegics - that will become a "turning point" in American cinema.

If you navigate throughout this website, using the button links above, you will see there are other feature length and short length screenplays, as well as several short stories that I plan to adapt into feature length screenplays and they all feature a starring character who is a paraplegic, like myself which provides the authentic voice element. It should be noted that most of them only have ONE character with a disAbility, a paraplegic character, and they DO NOT follow the stereotypical elements which consist of:

- being all about the disAbility, although they do not dismiss the lifestyle and some of the challenges - the plot is not all about the disAbility,

- nor are they surrounded by a political agenda,

- nor are they predictably inspirational.

They are not "statement" films although I do hope that with their success of being authentic and non-stereotypical in character and story, that that in itself becomes the statement, and shows those of us who are paraplegics, which often represent those with disAbilities in general, as productive members of society and a significant part of the American scene!

I do not make documentary films, or the true life stories. I write fictional stories that are either character or plot driven and the featured character is a paraplegic! I have to say I feel exactly like George Lucas when he famously said when talking about "Star Wars" that he just wanted to make movies that he wanted to see up on the big screen. That is exactly what I want to do - I want to see movies where the featured man in the movie is in a wheelchair as a paraplegic, I want to know that it is an actor who is also a paraplegic and therefore can honestly represent me and all those with paraplegia, who gets the girl, saves the day in his own way just like everybody else - and my character Detective London in "London Time" is a perfect example of this. He is a tough cop who says what's on his mind, does his job, gets physical and literally in the face of a suspect in the interrogation room that is one of my favorite scenes, and gets the girl and the murderer in the end! This kind of movie and character portrayal with authentic representation is when I can feel included in today's culture and society without pity and without stereotypes!

In addition to this page and this entire Abilities United Productions website, there is my Blog, Facebook Page, and the Authentic Representation in Hollywood Campaign page here on this site, that all will give you an very good overview of what I am doing and how this will become a very important and significant "turning point" in American cinema for those with a disAbility! And although I have done a lot of the work, the developing, and preparation, I cannot do it alone. I must attach key personnel - I hope you are one of them and that you will seriously consider what I have presented here and recognize how important it is and will become. If so, then I want you to be a part of this historic "turning point" and history will record your participation! Please, contact me as soon as possible - as I am contacting many people right now and will fill these key roles in this historic production quickly. While it may be 2010 and a long time coming - I will not wait any longer and not allow anyone beat me to this "turning point" that I have been working toward ever since becoming a paraplegic!

JOIN WITH ME NOW! You will be happy that you did. I will be, 56+ million Americans and another 600 million people with a disAbility world-wide will be happy you did - as will future generations as they will finally be able to have their own voices, their own heroes, their own dreams of working in this industry and authentically representing themselves and others with a disAbility!