Out of My Mind: Amber Sealey on Disability Representation and Why Accessibility Matters
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The funny, charming, and incisive Disney+ movie Out of My Mind tells the story of Melody, a young, nonverbal girl with cerebral palsy in the early 2000s who struggles to be heard in a school environment determined not to listen to her. It boldly asks the still-timely question, “What would it take to make education truly accessible and inclusive for every student?”
Episode Description
The Peabody Award-winning Disney+ movie Out of My Mind employs Jennifer Aniston’s voice alongside actress Phoebe Ray Taylor’s stellar performance to reveal the lack of accessible public school education in the early 2000s. Host Gabe González speaks with director Amber Sealey about what sparked her interest in this story, the state of accommodations in public schools, and how making her sets accessible improved working conditions for everyone. Gabe then speaks with professor and Undoing Ableism author Dr. Priya Lalvani about the ways our education system fails to achieve a truly inclusive educational environment for everyone, and what it would take to change that.