WEBVTT

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My experience when it comes to disability

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being included 
in the conversation about inclusivity

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has been that, in general, it hasn't been.

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It's only recently 
that it's really started

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to move the needle.

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I mean, y'all,

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I do a lotta work with SAG-AFTRA,

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and it's around 
issues of diversity and inclusivity,

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and I gotta say 
that the performance of disability committee

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has done phenomenal work in moving the needle

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and getting this conversation happening in the industry.

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It's amazing how much energy it takes

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to get that that big old boulder rolling just an inch,

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and they've done that, and it's startin' to move now,

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it's actually startin' to roll,

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and people are havin' that conversation.

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I think what I'm most excited about right now

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is that so many people
are talking about equality and inclusivity,

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and they are trying to make sure

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that nobody gets left out.

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And so when you point out to somebody

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that they're leaving out 20% of the population,

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they pay attention, they wake up.

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And so that to me,

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I think it's not been nearly as hard a conversation

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as it would have been 10, 15 years ago.

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People suddenly go, "(gasping) Oh, you're right.

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You're right, I haven't been thinking about that,

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I haven't been including performers with disabilities

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in my projects,

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I haven't been hiring writers with disabilities,

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I haven't been looking for producing...

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You know, so the simple fact that it's being pointed out to them

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sometimes in the you know shaming way

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but sometimes in the this actually will help

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improve your bottom line

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because people always wanna see themselves on camera.

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And it doesn't always need to be the point,

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in fact, sometimes it's most powerful

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when you see a person on camera with a disability

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and it's not the point of the story.

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That's happening more and more.

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It's not happening enough, let's be clear,

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but it's happening more.

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'Cause you know, at the end of the day,

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I think people are starting to realize

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that if you say you stand for equality,

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it's gotta be equality across the board.

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It can't be just for equality for people that look like me,

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or are my gender, or think like me, or love like me,

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it's got to be equality for everybody.

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Either you fight for everybody,

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or you're really just fighting for yourself and people like you.

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So I think that's the message

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that's gotta get out there more and more.

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And I think it's out there in that little simple note

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of don't forget about these folks

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who are, by the way, the biggest population of people

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that are forgotten in the country.

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(gentle rhythmic music)