Florida Actor Encourages Early Education for Change in Acceptance of Performers with Disabilities

Talking with Steve Gladstone is a treat. He's humorous, honest, and a realist who resides in Hollywood, Florida. Clearly the energy in his work as an actor, writer, singer and dancer, is inspired by his own life experience. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild and Actors' Equity Association, he is a standout who has performed in sixty commercials, the television show "Miami Vice," and films including "Hot Stuff" featuring Dom DeLuise, "The Island" with Michael Caine, and "The Specialist" starring James Woods. On the stage, he has performed in many productions, including the South Florida Shakespeare Festival. The lion's share of roles he plays are non-disabled characters.

What audiences may not know is that Gladstone is blind. At the age of 17, he was diagnosed during a routine exam with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which is a degenerative disease that causes a progressive loss of vision. By the age of 26, Gladstone stopped driving his car because he was going blind. "South Florida drivers appreciated my decision," Gladstone noted. "It happened over a long period of time. I was sighted half of my life and I´ve been blind half of my life. It´s been frustrating with the progression of the disease. But, most of the characters I play on the stage are not blind. I wind up playing able-bodied characters that are sighted as very few blind characters show up in classical literature or are written into scripts. Being blind is something that can be hidden to an audience," Gladstone explained.

Gladstone has chosen not to move to Los Angeles so he could be close to his kids. He does recognize the challenge that having a disability is often a disadvantage in the entertainment industry regardless of where you live. "The problem for most prominent writers and directors is that they are not disabled and they write for themselves. There's a bias and prejudice against disabled people, but no more than minorities have faced in the past. We´ve made strides. If you're not a white male, things are disproportionate. The system favors white males, instead of performers of color or disability. We´re woefully behind for performers with disabilities, especially when 20% of the population is disabled. As the largest minority, the disabled are also the most under-represented on the big and small screen," Gladstone said. "There's room for improvement, but I don´t see it changing anytime soon."

Gladstone believes that early education will change the future and include a better view of people with disabilities. "Starting in first grade, they should have a 'Disabled Jane' book showing her in a wheelchair. Start at a time when children are most impressionable. In college film classes, the education should continue with students being exposed to the disabled community on a regular basis as part of the curriculum. Show them the numbers. Get their minds filled with inclusion. In trade books such as 'How to Write a Screenplay,' discuss the diverse landscape and explain writing about characters with disabilities. When writing for supporting characters, why not have a disabled secretary? If students are taught it's meritorious and that the landscape includes people who are wheelchair users, blind, amputees, or developmentally disabled, they could show that the disabled do hold jobs. There are blind mothers, deaf law clerks, disabled bus drivers, and many other examples," Gladstone noted. "But the effort to educate has to begin early. By 25, you're damaged goods in terms of mindset - your morals and ethics are set. There´s little way to change."

There are many films that include blind characters, but sighted actors portray most of those high profile characters. "Al Pacino played a blind man in 'Scent of a Woman,' and it was a good choice economically because his name had box office draw. Jamie Foxx delivered a great performance in 'Ray,' but he also was not a blind man. Directors would never think of using a great white actor as the lead for a film about Martin Luther King. That's the analogy to a black actor. They used to paint down white actors to play black characters. You´d never see that now. So, why not consider a blind actor to portray a blind man?" Gladstone asked. "We need more disabled characters written and more auditions for performers with disabilities. Even if they keep the roles simple, we need to see more of them because we exist in society. The mindset of some directors and producers shows how archaic the system is today."

When the characters are not described in a specific way, Gladstone would like to see directors consider performers of color, performers with disabilities, and females over 40 for the non-specific roles. But, the reality of the situation often doesn't welcome a diverse view.

Gladstone has risen above a label to be considered as an actor first. "I'm not that interested that I'm blind. I don't wear it as a badge. I just live my life, instead of being labeled 'Superblind Guy.' I downplay my blindness. I'm just a regular guy who likes good food, good music, great sex, and the show 'Boston Legal.' I have two kids. My son lives in New York and my daughter lives in Florida. People are surprised I have kids," Gladstone said. "I've written three musicals and they're all different. I just want people to know there´s so much more to me than being blind. I'm Jewish and I spend more time focusing on eating the right food and getting the right amount of time sleeping. The able-bodied public still meets a disabled person and they tense up. A wall goes up, the voice changes, and some recoil. There are a lot of assumptions made that I have half a life as a sighted person. The mindset tends to be, 'If he has a disability, the rest of him must be disabled.' Same thing with some directors. I show up to an audition for a director and they think, 'What's a blind person doing here?' Other directors overlook the blindness. Some directors like that I'm a blind guy, others don't want to be bothered by it."

"Years ago, parents would say, 'Don´t stare, Johnny.' They were gawking. Now, people are tentative and overly careful of their words. It's okay to joke with me. If you have questions, ask them. If you think I need help, ask me," Gladstone explained. "Just embrace people for who they are. In order for meaningful change, we need to catch kids early on to create real change. You find the real beauty in who people really are. Talking to Steven Spielberg isn't going to change a thing. Why should he change when he's found great success without performers with disabilities? The next generation needs to embrace diversity because there always will be differences. Part of learning is how to live with each other and accept it without discounting people."

For more information about Performers With Disabilities visit www.PerformersWithDisabilities.com.