People with disabilities have never had great representation in popular media. There aren’t many people with disabilities with starring roles in television shows or movies. The experience of people with disabilities in the media probably mirrors the experiences of people of color. For whatever reason, entertainment executives think there isn’t an audience for content that features characters with disabilities. But other identity groups have one advantage that we don’t: they have established niche media markets. Telemundo targets Hispanics. Lifetime and Oxygen target women. Bravo has a lot of gay-themed programming. And then you have all the other niche channels like the Outdoor Network and the Food Network. But people with disabilities are left to observe the media explosion from the sidelines.
I’m working with a few other parties to explore possibilities for creating a disability-focused media outlet. Everything is very preliminary; we’re basically testing the waters to see whether there’s a market for something like this. I think the trick is to create something that doesn’t have too narrow of a focus. Imagine a hypothetical cable channel for people with disabilities. Ideally, the channel should have a variety of programming; drama, comedies, reality shows/documentaries, all of which feature people with disabilities. But the programming should be able to appeal to a general audience as well. The problem with web portals like ICan (which seems to be down right now) is that they never make much efforts to reach a broader audience. If you’re not disabled or closely involved with someone who is disabled, you’ve probably never heard of ICan. But most people know about the Food Channel, even if they never watch it.
What do you think? Is there a market for a disability-themed channel? What kind of programming would you want to see? I don’t know if this concept will go anywhere, but I want to hear your thoughts.

The Bush Administration seems determined to have a debate about Social Security reform. Fine, let’s debate. Here’s one issue I’d like to see discussed. Social Security isn’t just a program for the elderly. When a worker becomes disabled, they become eligible for Social Security benefits. The same goes for children of disabled workers. Other groups that may be eligible for Social Security benefits include:
Spouses of deceased workers
Adult disabled children of deceased workers
Children (under 18) of retirees
The privatization of Social Security would subject all of these groups to the vagaries of the markets. They would no longer be assured of a regular, monthly income to pay for the necessities of life. If the economy takes a sudden downturn, it’s these groups who would be the most vulnerable. A safety net that has existed for seventy years would be gone and with it the stability that it has brought to countless families.
I don’t argue that we should examine ways to reform Social Security. But we first need to recognize that Social Security isn’t something just for the gray-haired set. And we need to have a long, thoughtful debate; not a panicky response to a manufactured crisis. Depending on which estimate you look at, Social Security will be solvent until 2042. My generation, and those following us, will be the ones to pay the price for hasty decisions.
On a separate note, I’m looking for someone to help me install a new hard drive and DVD burner in my system. Free beer, anyone?

I was out most of the evening at a Humphrey Fellows dinner with Walter Mondale. It was a good time; I even got to chat with the former Vice President for a few minutes. I’ll write more about it tomorrow. In the meantime, I wonder if I’m short enough to be cast as an extra in the new Doctor Who series. Then again, do extraterrestrials use wheelchairs?

From my Inbox:
Hi Mark,
We recently launched a free online community site for disabled people interested in meeting others…and we were hoping you’d take a look at our site, and if you like it, maybe mention us in your blog, or add a link?
Our site is available here:
Disabled Passions
http://www.disabledpassions.com
The idea is to make it easier for people with disabilities to find one another, and it’s completely free, so this isn’t a sales pitch.
I hope you like the site.
All the best,
Michael
PS. Since we’re completely free, we’re pretty much relying on word-of-mouth, and links from sites focused on the ‘Disabled’ community. Thanks again!
So there you go. Maybe someone out there will get lucky and invite me to the wedding. And now if you’ll excuse me, I have homework. Yes, Policy Fellows have homework. I need to finish Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class by Wednesday. Only 200 pages to go.

Copyright protectionism really is getting out of hand. A security guard at a North Carolina art museum told a little girl to stop sketching paintings by Picasso and Matisse because they were copyrighted works of art. Add the fact that Bill Gates is of the opinion that those of us who believe in copyright reform are modern-day communists, and one begins to wonder if a day will come when we’ll all be walking around with corporate logos stamped on our foreheads. In the meantime, I think I’m going to pick up one of these T-shirts to express my solidarity with my free-thinking comrades.