What types of media representation do people with disabilities want to see?

If you ask a disability activist, the answer to this question is more complicated than you might think.

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Media representation of people with disabilities is at an all-time high. But the numbers don’t tell a complete story. For starters, that “all-time high” means that now 1 in 4 characters with a disability are authentically played by an actor with that disability. This means 3/4 are being played by actors who are, well, pretending.

Most people with disabilities were thrilled to hear last month that NBC Universal had vowed to audition more actors with disabilities. But increasing the opportunities is only part of the story. What types of storylines these actors receive and how the characters are portrayed are also extremely important.