Part of our job here at FilmDis is to report on disabled representation in the media. One of the ways we do this is by performing extensive research. Our initial inaugural study covers the 2018/2019 TV Season and features findings from 180 shows and over 700 disabled characters. With funding, we hope to cover all fictional shows in a given season to show the true state of disabled stories on TV.
In the future, as FilmDis grows, you’ll find more studies delving into all forms of media including film, stage, web and new media, video games, and more, not just our Primetime TV study that is put out on a yearly basis. You can find all of our current and former studies listed here, which will provide a great comparison of where the current state of disability in media is at, where it’s been, and where it is going.
Image Description: A photo of filmmaker, Dominick Evans, a wheelchair user, sitting on set. There is a brick wall behind him since he is outdoors. He is looking towards something off-camera with an intent look on his face. It is a view of his profile.
Project List
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television 2020-2022 – The Pandemic Years Study Fact Sheet
- FilmDis White Paper on Disability Representation on Television: Examining 250 TV Shows
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television 2020-2022 – The Pandemic Years Study – Easy Language Version
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television (2019-2020) Study Fact Sheet
- FilmDis White Paper on Disability Representation on Television: Examining 250 TV Shows from April 2019 to March 31, 2020
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television Study (2019-2020) – Easy Language Version
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television (2018-2019) Study Fact Sheet
- FilmDis White Paper on Disability Representation on Television: Examining 180 TV Shows from March 2018 to March 2019
- FilmDis Disability Representation on Television Study (2018-2019) – Easy Language Version
Want to find out the details of our latest study into disability representation on television? Don’t have time to weave your way through our 160+ paper? Check out this handy-dandy fact sheet! It’s much smaller and offers a condensed version of all of the information presented in our paper.
To read our Fact Sheet in an accessible PDF version, click here.
We are thrilled to release our third study into disability representation on television, with the release of our paper, the FilmDis White Paper on Disability Representation on Television. Once again, we examined 250 television shows. The shows aired between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2022. This study we discovered that 216 shows featured 1,342 disabled characters on 6 local networks, 10 cable channels, and 11 streaming services. We have broken down the data by disability, gender/gender identity, race, disabled mimicry, age, nationality, and more. To check out an accessible PDF version instead, click here.
Check out the FilmDis Disability Representation on Television 2020-2022 – The Pandemic Years Study – Easy Language Version.
To view an accessible PDF version of the Easy Language Guide, click here.
Do you want to check out our FilmDis Disability Representation on Television (2019-2020) Study, but don’t have the time or energy to check out 75+ pages of material? Here is a condensed, three-page fact sheet, with all the most important information from the study & white paper. To check out the fact sheet in non-PDF format click here.
Our second annual FilmDis Representation on TV study is here! This year we watched 250 shows on 20 networks and 10 streaming services. Each show began airing between April 2019 and March 31, 2020. We found that 218 of the shows featured disability representation, and we have broken that down to discover what kind of disability representation is airing these days! Check out our full study for information on each individual character, statistics on each network, and an analysis of how Hollywood can do better. To check out the paper in non-PDF format, click here.
Check out our Easy Language Guide for the FilmDis Disability Representation on Television (2019-2020) Study.
Click Learn More, to read the guide.
Are you interested in the results of our FilmDis Disability Representation on Television (2018-2019) Study, but don’t have time to go through our 50+ page report/white paper? Here is a condensed, two-page fact sheet, with all the major details about the full-length study. To check out the fact sheet in non-PDF format click here.
The inaugural FilmDis Representation on TV study looks at 180 (out of 500+) shows covering both streaming and network TV for the 2018/2019 season. To cover the full season, we looked at shows that started between March 2018 and March 2019. All shows were scripted and while not all shows offered disability representation, a shocking 151 of them did. Check out our full study for character demographics, statistical information, and to learn more about the state of disability representation on television, today. To check out the paper in non-PDF format click here.
Check out our Easy Language Guide for our first FilmDis Disability Representation on Television Study.
Click Learn More to read our guide.