Expert: Kitty Kavey - 3/10/2006

Question
My name is Nathan Say and I am interested in getting involved in the modeling industry, preferably commerical, but I have a Disability and I know that this limits my options.  I was wondering what advice you could give.

Thanks so Much
Nathan Say

Answer
There are those of us who have visible disabilities, and those of us who have invisible disabilities, but still require certain accommodations to perform the work.  There are a couple agencies who represent apparently disabled modeling talent, as well as talent agencies who represent disabled actors.

If your disability is not visibly apparent, most likely you can work through a regular agency.  I did for years, and they were aware that I needed certain accommodations, but had no problem with it.  

You can contact some of the disability organizations for help in locating disabled specific model/talent agencies.
The Ouch! website is a really great resource, even if you're not in the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/
If you're in the US, the Media Access Office is the best resource I've found: http://www.disabilityemployment.org/med_acc.htm

I'm not sure how they work for other states, but here in Los Angeles, they help with nearly everything related to making the entertainment industry accessible to all.

Good luck to you,
~Kitty