Monday July 26, 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The Census counts 54 million disabled people in the country. Jane Seymour's new PSA, showcasing the contributions of many others in Hollywood, is doing its part to celebrate and continue to raise the profile of the disabled.
The ADA originated on the east coast and its impact is being felt across the country. The movement is being celebrated by filmmakers in both the feature and independent film worlds: by James Cameron's "Jake Sulley" character in Avatar, and the real life version -- Oscar "Oz" Sanchez in the Academy qualified independent documentary Unbeaten by documentary filmmaker Steven C. Barber. Vanilla Fire Productions and Polaris Global Media produced a film about disability which is now qualified for Academy consideration for 2011. (The filmmaker's first film Return To Tarawanarrated by Ed Harris, is now showing on the Discovery Network's Military Channel; The WWII CSI-style recovery sequel will be shot August 8-31, 2010 in The Pacific and calls for another A-list celebrity to narrate.) Both films Avatar and Unbeaten, together uplifted the heart of the disability community with a pre-anniversary screening in DC at the world renowned Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where the film-makers received the coveted Commander's Coin for their healing mission which was showcased on CNN's American Morning with John Roberts, when they delivered Avatar DVDs donated by Avatar's Jon Landau to 300 wounded marine veterans in May 2010.
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