I AM PWD CAMPAIGN ENDORSED BY AFL-CIO CONVENTION

AFL-CIO Convention Delegates Pass Resolution 18 Endorsing theI AM PWD Campaign of AEA, AFTRA and SAG

from SAG's Press Release:

Pittsburgh (September 16, 2009) – I AM PWD — the Inclusion in the Arts and Media for People with Disabilities campaign of Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild — was today endorsed by the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention delegates through Convention Resolution 18, entitled “Unions Should Give People with Disabilities a Voice and a Face.”

“It’s the dawn of a new day for workers with disabilities,” said I AM PWD national chair and SAG/AFTRA/AEA member Robert David Hall, who appeared before the more than 700 convention delegates to urge the passage of Resolution 18. “We are overjoyed that our I AM PWD campaign has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO Convention delegates, but even more meaningful is this loud show of support and solidarity from our brothers and sisters in the national labor movement.”

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker said, “The AFL-CIO is proud of our progress toward diversity in our leadership, especially when it comes to race, gender and sexual orientation, but the fact is that workers with disabilities are not yet fully included in the life, work and leadership of our labor movement. We took action today to begin to change that, and to work toward full equality for people with disabilities in American life.” AFL-CIO Convention Resolution 18 pledges, “The AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions endorse and support the I AM PWD campaign and invite SAG, AFTRA and Equity to share its lessons.”

Beyond its endorsement of the I AM PWD campaign, Resolution 18 also declares the AFL-CIO’s intention to “make itself a model by including people with disabilities in all discussions addressing diversity and by encouraging the labor movement at all levels to do the same.”

About I AM PWD: I AM PWD is a global civil rights campaign seeking equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media. I AM PWD was founded by members of Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association to bring media and public attention to the issues of media access, inclusion and accuracy for people with disabilities. You can visit I AM PWD online at IAMPWD.org.

SAG MEMBERS: HOLLYWOOD DISABILITIES FORUM IN OCTOBER

FROM SAG 9/15/09

ATTENTION PERFORMERS WITH DISABILITIES
Seeking Submissions for Actors Master Class
at Hollywood Disabilities Forum
October 24, 2009

I AM PWD* – Inclusion in the Arts and Media of People With Disabilities – in partnership with WGAW Writers with Disabilities Committee and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, will host an executive industry conference on accuracy and inclusion of and access for people with disabilities in entertainment on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

SEEKING PERFORMERS:
A portion of the Hollywood Disabilities Forum will include an Actors Master Class for performers with disabilities. April Webster of April Webster and Associates Casting will be selecting performers to participate who will then be paired with another performer and given a short scene to memorize and rehearse before the class. The scenes will then be presented on the day of the forum, with highly-regarded actors and/or directors in the industry who will work with the actors in front of an invited audience of fellow performers and industry professionals. The dual purposes of the class is to provide awareness to industry decision makers of the wealth of untapped professional disabled actors out there ready to work, while the performers are given invaluable instruction in their craft.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING:
Eligibility requirements: You must be a performer with a disability and a member in good standing of Actors’ Equity Association, AFTRA or SAG.

Submission deadline: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 no later than 4 p.m.

· ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS AND HAND-DELIVERIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER SEPTEMBER 23.
· MAILED SUBMISSIONS POSTMARKED AFTER SEPTEMBER 23 WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Submission guidelines:
· Please submit ONE headshot and resume along with a cover letter.
· If necessary, please indicate any accommodations you may need in your cover letter.
· Please do not submit DVDs, CDs, reels, or audio files.
· You can submit via email, via mail or via hand-delivery—follow the instructions below:
Email: You can email your headshot, resume and cover letter to diversity@sag.org

SAG members can also submit their iActor profile by emailing it to: diversity@sag.org
Please include your cover letter in the body of the email message.

Performers who have profiles on Breakdown Services http://www.breakdownservices.com/ or Actor Access http://www.actorsaccess.com/ are able to submit via email by sending it to diversity@sag.org

REGULAR MAIL:
Screen Actors Guild
Affirmative Action & Diversity
Attn: I AM PWD Actors Master Class
5757 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036

DROP-OFF SITES (no later than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23):
Please feel free to hand-deliver your headshot, resume and cover letter to any of these locations during regular business hours:

Actors’ Equity Association Actors’ Equity Association
Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class
6755 Hollywood Blvd. 165 W 46th Street
5th floor (entrance on McCadden Place) New York, NY 10036
Hollywood, CA 90028

AFTRA AFTRA
Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class
5757 Wilshire Blvd. – 9th Floor 260 Madison Avenue – 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036 New York, NY 10016

Screen Actors Guild Screen Actors Guild
Affirmative Action & Diversity Affirmative Action & Diversity
Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class Attn: IAMPWD Actors Master Class
5757 Wilshire Blvd. – 7th Floor 360 Madison Avenue – 12th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036 New York, NY 10017

Performers selected to audition will be contacted no later than Tuesday, September 29 and must be available for auditions on Friday, October 1 or Thursday, October 2.
Final selections will be made the week of October 5.
MUST BE AVAILABLE on Saturday, October 24 in Los Angeles, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. for the Actors Master Class.

Please call (323-549-6644) or email (diversity@sag.org) us with any questions.

THANK YOU!

*I AM PWD is a national civil rights campaign seeking equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media. I AM PWD was founded by members of Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association to bring media and public attention to the issues of media access, inclusion and accuracy for people with disabilities.