Disability Broadcasting Company Launches on Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities ActLos Angeles, CA -- July 26, 2005 -- On the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the People With disabilities Broadcasting Corporation (PWdBC) is pleased to announce the formal launch of its website and the initial stage of creating and maintaining a powerful new disability media presence.
Central to PWdBC's mission is the creation of the first 24-hour TV channel "of, by and for people with disabilities . . . and everyone else," which will include comedies, dramas, reality, sports, and information and news programs. PWdBC is in exploratory conversations with a number of media companies to make this channel a reality.
PWdBC is also in discussions with a number of entertainment unions and guilds, universities, disability groups, philanthropic organizations and advertisers to generate support, to develop partnerships and alliances, and to create a pool of talented actors, writers, producers and other support professionals.
"It is important for us in the disability community to advocate and legislate, but it's time for us to create and celebrate both our historical and future contributions to American popular culture," said Howard Renensland, PWdBC Founder and President.
Renensland, an accomplished actor, writer, director, and teacher, has an adult daughter who was born with disabilities.
An estimated 54 million Americans identify themselves as having a disability, while the worldwide population of people with disabilities is estimated at over 600 million. The unique perspectives of this powerful, creative minority are largely missing from the mainstream media, and therefore society as a whole.
Few characters with disabilities appear in television and film. Actors with disabilities portray just a handful of these. Perhaps more importantly, people with disabilities are not represented in the creative processes behind the camera, making accurate portrayals of people with disabilities rare.
PWdBC will work toward correcting this imbalance by becoming the first mainstream media entity to design all programs to be accessible and available to everyone, to give a voice to this growing population, and to foster the employment and training of a large number of talented people with disabilities in the entertainment and information industries.
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