People with disabilities foster creative expression through the art of making television

Through artistic expression, people with disabilities can look beyond their disabilities to their abilities.

By Krittiya Wongtavavimarn

4/21/10

Chris Alfonso, 23, loves to see himself working in front of and behind the lens. Cerebral palsy does not stop him from being a TV host and producer, he said.

"I have a great ability. I can do interviews, edit video, do closed captioning and copy video. That makes me proud of myself and my ability," said Alfonso.

Zach Smith's dream is to interview former supermodel and talk show host Tyra Banks. The 23-year-old also believes that it is possible for him to achieve his dream.

"I want to ask her, 'What do you do?' That's pretty much it," said Smith, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and mild mental retardation. "I like to be in front of the camera and interview people. I don't feel nervous at all. Love seeing myself on TV."

Alfonso and Smith are crew members of Ablevision, a national award-winning television program under Triangle, an organization in Malden which provides people with disabilities employment training and services. Ablevision helps 53 people with disabilities foster innovative expression through the art of making television, under the supervision of Executive Producer Alisa Carbone, a former news editor for WHDH Channel 7.

Started in 2003, the program initially aired on Malden Access Television. Now, its 30 episodes have been broadcast in more than 50 communities in Massachusetts as well as 13 states nationwide including New York and California. It has also won a number of awards including the 2008 and 2009 National Hometown Video Award for Best Ability-Access Program.

Each episode is itself a work of art, said Carbone. Through artistic expression, she noted, people with disabilities can look beyond their disabilities to their abilities. They create, write, produce, direct, shoot and edit their own half-hour magazine format television program that features anything from entertainment and the arts to sports and politics.

Click below to watch the Ablevision crew interview GIMP.

Much like any art form, TV producing is a powerful tool of self-discovery for crew members, Carbone said.

"They come up with the questions, dictate the pacing of the show, and put their own little personal spins on it," she said, adding that previous interviewees include comedian Kevin James and the Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia. "By seeing themselves on TV and saying, 'I can make a TV show,' 'I can be in media,' 'Look what I can do,' they can have self-worth and self-confidence. It's a tangible means of growth."

Ablevision sharpens people with disabilities' skills for personal and professional development, said Sam Mulligan, who assists people with disabilities in the shooting and editing process.

"They are not different from anybody else," Mulligan said. "People learn things in different ways. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it."

Take Lilly Sutton. The 57-year-old, who has a learning disability, said she had put the time and effort into learning and trying to understand how to use camera equipment and to interview people.

"I didn't know what I was doing at the beginning. But, eventually, I started to understand things. Learning bits by bits is how I learn," said Sutton, who's a host of Ablevision. "I realized that when I got out of the fear, I could learn more things."

Ablevision is also expanding the crew's creative expression and reaching different audiences by using new media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Carbone added that often people with disabilities are portrayed negatively in mainstream media and are the targets of jokes. Through different channels, she said the show is where the two world--of people with and without disabilities--connect.

"Everybody watches TV. They can enjoy and learn from our folks," Carbone said. "The show breaks down this barrier, and you can feel comfortable talking to them and see they are just people like you are."

By including disabilities in its creative output, these television programs will encourage a more positive approach to defining the word of disability, said Bonnie Kaplan, director of cultural access at VSA Arts of Massachusetts, a non-profit organization that promotes art access to people with disabilities.

Kaplan added that the media's positive portrayal of people with disabilities can also help society gradually come to recognize that disability is a substantial part of society.

"Today, the media still use these archaic, inappropriate words for what disabilities are. You still see 'wheelchair-bound' in the media. That person is not bound to or stuck in a wheelchair; he can get in and out of it. We should focus more on people than their disabilities," she said.