'We need shows like Fair City to star people with disabilities and reflect the world we live in'

PEOPLE TOLD DAVE Thomas that, because he has a physical disability, he would never get to have the career of his dreams.

The film was inspired by Thomas’s own life. He has a physical disability and found that this presented challenges for him due to people’s perceptions about what he was and wasn’t capable of. “I truly believe we have an accessibility issue in Ireland in terms of theatre and getting people into shows,” she said.

When he then decided to pursue his dream, he still had producers telling him that he would have a difficult time working in the media because of his disability. Thomas says that while Ireland has progressed in some ways in how people with disabilities are treated, there is still stigma attached to it. He says that people tend to judge a book by its cover, which is a “human flaw”. Because of this, he doesn’t intend the film to be preachy, and the character of the manager is not presented as a bad person.

Producer Jason Forde said that the script won about 13 awards before he got involved. “As a producer you’re all the time looking for scripts that have an original voice, and this resonated with me.” Related Read 24.07.16 Award-winning Irish film starring cast who have intellectual disabilities hopes to go global

Her father Anthony agrees, saying: “The world is changing. Orla was lucky that her generation was one of the first to have access to supported education. The challenge now is to follow on with work opportunities for people with disabilities – this is one of the issues the film addresses.” The advice Casey would give to someone who faces a situation like Aretha faced is clear: “Believe in yourself and if someone gives you a hard time talk to someone that can help you.”

One of the main reasons our media and government pushed for abortion was because of babies with disabilities, so why the sudden change of heart? I'm all in favour of seeing more people with disabilities on TV

While our politicians want them killed before they get born.

Maybe then some of your journalists can break into the acting world.

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