When “Maude’s Reunion” aired on February 21, 1977, none of us who worked on the show knew it would set off a domino effect that would change our industry’s perception of people with disabilities. And I, working as a first assistant to the executive producer, Rod Parker, certainly didn’t know it would launch a career I didn’t know I ...
Jason George Issue
Whetter Brothers – Inside Track and Deaf Community
Inside Track, an upcoming film written and directed by American Film Institute’s (AFI) graduate Jevon Whetter, aims to inspire and unite deaf and hearing audiences around the true story of a coach and team of eight boys from the Oregon School for the Deaf, who overcome tremendous odds to win the 1986 Oregon State Track and Field Championship. Based ...
Marsha Malamet – Between Times of Incarnation
ABILITY’s Geri Jewell and David Zimmerman continue their interview with songwriter Marsha Malamet in her quaint bungalow in Hollywood, CA. Malamet: I believe we come back time and time again, and have hundreds of past lives. Jewell: Do you believe that we connect with the same people we connected with before? Malamet: Absolutely. We come in, and we have ...
Jason George: Grey’s Anatomy, Diversity, Advocate
When actor Jason George isn’t busy saving lives as Dr. Ben Warren on Grey’s Anatomy, he finds other ways to help. He champions diversity in the entertainment industry, guides at-risk youth, and raises funds for cancer research. He’s also a classically trained stage actor, who’s landed over 50 guest roles on primetime television, including nine series, such as Mistresses, ...
Shanghai’s Couple – Team Committed to Runners Who Are Blind
In 2015, Shanghai-based husband and wife team Lu Xiangdong and Li Jiyuan launched Be Your Eyes, a charity committed to helping runners who are blind or visually impaired to train for long-distance running events. They pair young runners with experienced runners to work out and train for competitions. So far they’ve participated in more than 100 activities in and ...
Dinner Time
Every night, I’m plagued by the same question, what am I going to make for dinner? When you live alone, cooking for one is not so enticing. If someone makes you a meal, you can taste the love in the preparation. When I’m just cooking for myself, I know there’s no love in it. Sometimes, I don’t even know ...
Oh, the Winds
Late last summer, my mom and I planned a mother/daughter trip to Northern California to go wine tasting in Napa. But as the day to leave drew closer, we kept a close eye on the weather reports about Hurricane Irma. It came right down to the wire: The Category 5 storm wasn’t hitting on the day we were scheduled ...
Living in the Travel Lane
By the time you read this column, my “new” Yamaha Super Ténéré will have 100,000 miles on the clock, and 80,000 of them accrued in 2017. That averages out to 220 miles every single day of the year. It has certainly been a year of living in the travel lane for me. I shared my story and hopefully inspired ...
Bold. Brazen. Bankrupt!
We’re living in a world where people who previously breezed by in the shadows, and at other times boldly marched the red carpet, are being revealed for who they truly are: morally bankrupt individuals. Whether drugging women, molesting children, or otherwise harming others from their pedestal of power and prestige, they’re now being outed by more and more accusers ...
Dr. Ricardo Guinea – Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Around the world there are vastly different ways people with mental health issues receive treatment. At worst, they’re removed from their families and institutionalized in psychiatric hospitals, given sub-par treatment and alienated from society. But the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), an international non-governmental agency, is working diligently to educate countries and practitioners around the globe about a ...
The Homecoming: A Magical, Mystical, All-Inclusive Feature Film
Pure Joy. Those are the words that come to mind when trying to describe what I experienced this fall while filming the musical feature film, The Homecoming. A magical, musical, all-inclusive feature film by Zeno Mountain Farm and the producers of Becoming Bulletproof. I always dreamed of a world like this: An all-inclusive atmosphere where everyone is treated equally, ...
