Brookline Resident Honored In Hollywood

BROOKLINE, MA — The following comes from a release from the Ruderman Family Foundation:

Brookline resident Jay Ruderman, of the Ruderman Family Foundation, was honored in Beverly Hills the other night at the Media Access Awards with the SAF-AFTRA Disability Awareness Award, according to a release.

Newton-based Ruderman Family Foundation advocates for disability inclusion in Hollywood. The organization is campaigning to improve the portrayal of disabilities in entertainment and to increase the number of roles that cast actors with disabilities.

They enlist Hollywood studios, networks, and production companies to make commitment to audition actors with disabilities with each new production picked up to series.

CBS Entertainment became the first company to sign the foundation’s pledge, according to Ruderman's foundation.

Also this year, the Foundation began a "Seal of Authentic Representation,"program which they award when TV or film projects feature actors with disabilities in substantial speaking roles. The aim is to have it be the premier recognition for those in the entertainment creative community who show the commitment toward full inclusiveness in popular culture, according to a release.