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December 2007 - February 2008: Issue 25

• Issue Overview
• From the Editor
• Perspectives
• People
• Resources
• News and Notes

Resources

DEAL: Disability in Entertainment and Arts Link

DEAL: Disability in Entertainment and Arts Link is a New York-based collective of arts and entertainment professionals dedicated to the full inclusion of people with disabilities—physical, developmental, intellectual, and sensory—in all sectors of American arts and entertainment.

It is committed to:

• universal opportunity for and participation of disabled people—a critical and underrepresented segment of our national talent pool—on stage and screen and behind the scenes.
• the creation of new, vibrant, complex characters and storylines.
• realistic portrayals, authentic representations, accurate content, information and language when presenting disabled people and ideas about disability.

DEAL was expressly created to serve writers, directors, producers, technicians, network and studio executives, casting directors, and disabled artists at every stage of the creative process—from development of the initial idea through production, marketing, and public presentation.

DEAL is the link to:

• resources and information on standards and practices in programming, hiring, casting, production, and the accessibility of physical structures and modes of communication used in theatre, film, and television.
• consultants, writers, online resources and artists with disabilities working in all areas of arts and entertainment. DEAL helps individuals and organizations develop projects that reflect the changing landscape of disability, introduce provocative ideas about disability, and put forth a more authentic representation of what it means to be a disabled person in the 21st century.

Adapted from the DEAL mission statement.