Actors with disabilities are being represented onscreen more than ever before, but actors who use wheelchairs still experience a unique set of challenges. Here’s what actors and experts say about becoming an actor if you use a wheelchair.
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Arthur Keng, Alvina August, and Shannon Devido on “Lucky Hank” Credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC
- Being seen beyond the wheelchair: “The biggest industry challenge that we continue to fight against is people diminishing us into just a wheelchair and neglecting to acknowledge the complexity of our humanity long enough to say, ‘Yes, of course, this person is an amazing actor who can transform any number of roles into something fascinating, and happens to do it moving on wheels,’” explains actor-director Regan Linton, who has used a wheelchair ever since becoming paralyzed from the chest down due to a spinal cord injury. She sees clear examples of the limitations of those with casting powers when she sees wheeling roles that say, “No experience required.” “That rarely, if ever, happens for roles with other specific identities, and I think it is indicative of the industry not thinking they are going to find a wheeling or disabled actor with the capacity for a nuanced and robust performance beyond just being a person in a chair,” she says. Linton problematized this way of thinking by becoming the first wheeling actor cast in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival rep company and directing “Imperfect,” an award-winning documentary about actors with disabilities.
- Biases: Not everyone who uses a wheelchair uses it all the time. “People use wheelchairs for a variety of reasons—some people are born with conditions that don’t allow them to walk, and others can be injured, as examples,” says Suzanne Richard, an actor and artistic director for Open Circle Theatre who lives with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). Richard uses either a wheelchair or crutches to prevent injury or if she knows she will be standing for a long time during a workday. Ambulatory wheelchair users may be accused of “faking it” or experience other forms of discrimination and prejudice.
- Accessibility: “The other big challenge is simply logistics,” Linton says. “There are a huge number of theaters that still lack accessible dressing rooms, backstage areas, audience seating maneuverability (for when I'm directing), out-of-town actor housing (one of the biggest problems), and other basic options that are routinely provided for the nondisabled actors but aren't made accessible for wheeling actors.” She explains that the inaccessibility can often be helped with more communication. “Many people in the industry have never worked with an actor on wheels, so they don't know where to start and are afraid of starting the conversation for fear we're out to sue—but believe it or not, my intention as an artist is to work, not to sue,” she says. “But it takes a willingness on the other side.”
- Passed up for roles: Those in wheelchairs may be passed up for parts—and sometimes, casting directors even cast non-disabled actors to portray characters in wheelchairs, such as Kevin McHale as Artie in “Glee.” Richard knows of at least one instance when she did not get an acting part because of her disability. Years after not landing a part in “Les Misérables,” a colleague informed her that lawyers had advised the CD not to cast her because they thought she might be injured. Unfortunately, these situations can present a catch-22, she says. “If you go after a company because of discrimination, you have the fear that you will be unofficially blacklisted if other theaters become aware of the situation.”
- Underestimated: Some stigmas that go along with wheelchair use can be limiting to actors. “There are assumptions of things that you can’t do,” Richard says. “For example, if there is a dance number, a producer may assume that you can’t dance, but, in a wheelchair, you absolutely can dance.” She adds, “There is also the feeling from some producers that someone in a wheelchair can’t do the part. But I believe the audience goes with it better than we understand.”
Daryl Mitchell on “Fear the Walking Dead” Credit: Ryan Green/AMC
Develop your unique skill set
“Like any actor, it’s about the craft and working to expand your self-awareness and skills with your instrument,” Linton explains. “Which, for us, is our body and our chair.” She recommends taking every opportunity you can, finding mentors you respect, and seeking their feedback and direction so you can meld your approach to your craft with an astute external perspective. “Don't just rely on your wheelchair to get jobs,” she says. And if you're not finding the kind of material that you think is good enough for what you have to offer, “Make it yourself!”
Network
“Go to everything,” Richard advises. “Get them used to seeing you. Let them know what you have done in productions outside the world of just disabilities.” She advises that you attend social events, cocktail hours, and professional groups, and “make friendships with other actors who are auditioning so they can refer you when they see a part that might be a good fit.”
Audition often
According to Richard, “You need to work your audition to make them want to pick you. You have to be better than the others, which means you have to train, train, train.” But don’t just go after the big opportunities, she adds. “Do small theaters to cut your teeth and make connections.”
Advocate for inclusion
“People need to see a person with a disability—we are part of the culture,” Richard explains. “We need to be there. It’s about being seen and heard. Sometimes there may be a role that may be a hard sell for the audience to believe someone in a wheelchair can be that character, but it’s our job to help the audience see around it.”
Seek resources
Resources available to help with disability inclusion in the arts include:
- “The National Disability Theater Handbook” was created in response to ongoing requests for organizational consulting, according to co-founder Talleri McRae. “Producing theaters articulated a need for a resource to help support hiring theater professionals with disabilities and producing disability-centered work,” she explains. “The handbook is intended to support producing theaters, theater educators, and anyone who is interested in embarking on access-centered practice.”
- Disability Arts Online, AbilityE, and Zebedee promote inclusion in the industry by connecting actors with disabilities with parts.
Keep going
“There's still a long way to go, and change can move at a snail's pace,” says Linton. “Many people—including artistic directors, casting directors, and producers—only see a wheelchair but don’t understand the leagues-deep layers of complex human psycho-social-spiritual-emotional experience that accompany the titanium frame and the flesh and blood human that sits atop it. But I think the trajectory is still moving in the right direction—if I didn't think it was, I would have given this up long ago.” The work is hard and tedious, but Linton says that’s what makes it worthwhile. “So never give up, and always remember (because other people will often forget and you'll have to remind them) you are an artist first, not just a wheelchair.”
Ali Stroker in “Christmas Ever After” Courtesy Lifetime
Actors who use wheelchairs are seeing more and more success onscreen and onstage. Some successful actors who use a wheelchair include:
- Ali Stroker (“Christmas Ever After,” “Ozark,” Tony winner for “Oklahoma”)
- Daryl Mitchell (“NCIS,” “Fear of the Walking Dead”)
- Shannon Devido (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Other Two”)
- Lauren “Lolo” Spencer (“The Sex Lives of College Girls,” “Give Me Liberty”)
- George Robinson (“Sex Education,” “Dalgliesh”)
- Steve Way (“Ramy”)
- Sophie Jaewon Kim (“The Healing Powers of Dude”)
- Sophie Morgan (“Beyond Boundaries”)