Micah Fowler takes center stage in Speechless, giving Disabled Community a voice

Welcome Back Readers,

According to a new study, over 95% of disabled characters on TV shows are played by able-bodied actors. To be honest, I’m not surprised. There needs to be more diversity of disabilities shown on television. This would hopefully develop a new understanding for general audiences and begin a open dialogue of how to interact with the disabled community.

Apparently, I’m not the only one that feels this way. Scott Silveri said he based the comedy off his own experiences, having a disabled sibling with a disability. In attempt to be authentic, he felt it was important for a real disabled actor to play the part. That’s where Micah comes into play;Like the character of JJ that he plays on the series, he also has cerebral palsy. The series will attempt to uncover the myth of what it means to have a disability; although it does that and so much more.

Speechless airs on Wednesdays at 8:30 PM

 For more information on the show, or Micah Fowler, please see the following links:

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/20/speechless-micah-fowler-breakout-star

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/speechless-abc-premiere-creator-disabled-actor-micah-fowler-1201867014/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/arianelange/micah-fowler-speechless-abc?utm_term=.ygR1LEOxk#.hvZwnK81L