If one were to ask the average media viewer about disability at the Academy Awards, they’d probably refer to Marlee Matlin winning the Oscar for Best Actress for the 1986 feature “Children of a Lesser God” and the 2021 feature “CODA” winning Best Picture. But to the disabled community, these two wins illustrate the highs and lows of the con- tinued struggle for representation on-screen.
Though one in four people have a disability in the United States, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that number is not reflected in entertainment. According to a 2024 study from USC Annenberg, 2.2%