I’ve previously mentioned my involvement in efforts to launch a media corporation focusing on disability issues and featuring pieces produced by and starring people with disabilities. I’d like to direct you to the official website for PWdBC, the People With disabilities Broadcast Corporation. It launched a few weeks ago and you’ll find my name listed under the Board of Advisors. It’s a concept that is still in its formative stages, but you’ll find our business plan on the website as well as an open solicitation for resumes and programming ideas. Keep in mind that PWdBC doesn’t have any funding yet, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had a few nibbles of interest from assorted parties. Howard Renesland, the Visionary-In-Chief for PWdBC, has put in hundreds of hours into making this idea a reality and he deserves a lot of credit for keeping his eyes on the prize in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. We continue to believe that there’s a market for such a channel, not to mention a lot of untapped and underutilized talent. The Screen Actors Guild recently released a report stating that performers with disabilities are vastly underrepresented in mainstream media. While we certainly don’t want our channel to become the disability ghetto of the media spectrum, we do think it could be a showcase for all kinds of talent that isn’t getting any exposure in the current media conglomerates. And if we’re successful, it might give show the other networks how negligent they’ve been in ignoring this segment of the population.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress of PWdBC. And if there are certain types of programming you’d like to see on a disability-themed channel, send them to me and I’ll pass them on to Howard.