"Speechless" Creator on Casting Disabled Actors in Hollywood, "Demystifying"
  Special Needs Community
From: Variety - 09/21/2016
By: Elizabeth Wagmeister

ABC's new comedy "Speechless" follows a family of five with a special needs
child. The actor who portrays the disabled character is Micah Fowler, a
teenager, who in real life, has cerebral palsy.

"For me, it was never a question," show creator Scott Silveri says about
casting Fowler. "God bless the studio and the network for not questioning
that. I had geared up for a big fight, but the fight never came. There wasn't
the pushback I expected."

Silveri - who based "Speechless" loosely off of his own experience growing up
with an older brother with a disability - says he's been wanting to do a show
like "Speechless" for nearly 20 years, and while he happened to be developing
something on his own, he found out ABC was looking for a show about a family
with a special needs child.

Read the entire article at:
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/speechless-abc-premiere-creator-disabled-actor-micah-fowler-1201867014

Links:
Hollywood's Invisible Minority: People with Disabilities Eager to Show Their
  Abilities
http://variety.com/t/speechless

Micah Fowler
http://variety.com/t/micah-fowler

Able-Bodied Actors Play 95% of Disabled Characters in Top 10 TV Shows, Says
  New Study
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/disabled-actors-television-study-1201813686

TV Review: ‘Speechless’
http://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/tv-review-speechless-abc-minnie-driver-micah-fowler-john-ross-bowie-disability-1201856274

"Speechless" Big Winner as Media Access Awards Salute People with Disabilities
http://variety.com/2016/film/awards/speechless-media-access-awards-people-with-disabilities-1201921176