The Zack Arnold Podcast Breaking Barriers: Rethinking Disabilities in the Workplace | with Taylor Lewis
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My guest today is Taylor Lewis who is an editor, writer, and disability advocate. He recently wrapped working as an Editorial PA on the Netflix feature film, Rebel Moon. But most of our conversation today focuses on Taylor's advocacy for disability representation in every level of the entertainment industry so they can share their perspective in life. Taylor believes that the best story to tell about a person with a disability is one that focuses on what they do as a human being with the disability being secondary.
In our conversation, Taylor tells his story about how he got into the entertainment industry by turning down an entry-level job because he believes it was offered to him out of 'charity' (by the way, did I mention that he has his own unique disability that you’ll hear him talk about?). We also deep dive into the different definitions of the word 'disability' and how some disabilities exist simply through the systems we put in place. Taylor believes that accommodating disabled people at every level not only benefits them, but it benefits all of us.
I encourage you to listen to my conversation with Taylor as his views on representation and his advocacies will ask you to consider that in some contexts, everyone has a disability and a disability can also be a superpower.
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Here's What You'll Learn:
- Taylor’s perspective on the best way to tell the story of someone with a disability
- Why entry-level jobs are often inappropriate for people with physical disabilities
- How to properly define disability by taking in social, economic, physical, and mental factors
- Why context can turn a disability into a superpower
- Why are people with disabilities portrayed by able-bodied people in films
- What Taylor believes is more important than winning awardsHow can accommodating people with disabilities benefit everybody
- How you can help advocate for people with disabilities
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Go Far: The Christopher Rush Story
[CASE STUDY] Transitioning to Scripted Television | with Len Ciccotello
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Transforming Your Disabilities Into Superpowers | with Erik Stolhanske
Breaking Down Impossible Obstacles to Make (Almost) Anything Achievable | with Jessie Graff, ANW
How to Overcome Doubting Yourself When You Know You’re Meant For More | with Sandy Zimmerman, ANW
Never Take ‘No’ For An Answer | with Natalie Asatryan
Being Grateful In the Face of Adversity | with Humberto Gurmilan
Tired of Life Kicking Your Ass? Learn to Fight Back Like a True ‘Cobra Kai’
Want to Be Part of the Solution but Don’t Know How? Start with Listening.
Recognizing, Mentoring, and Promoting Diversity In Hollywood | with Monty DeGraff, ACEGuest Bio:
Taylor Lewis
Taylor Lewis started his career in post-production for advertising and documentaries. He recently decided to make the jump to feature films and is currently working as an Editorial PA on a Netflix feature film. Taylor also does disability content consulting for ad agencies, gives presentations about disability representation in media, and runs the Instagram account @disabilitycallsheet highlighting disabled actors.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.
The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/zackarnold/exclusive-content