I was recently approached by Variety to give my experience on what it’s like working in the entertainment industry with a disability.
To be honest, I haven’t given this topic much thought. My parents and I left China when I was 9 years old. They did this so I could have more opportunities in life. So I could live well. And that was just what I did, I started living my life. I didn’t want to use up my time to “fix” myself or feel sorry for what I couldn’t do.
What did that mean for working in Hollywood? Well, I always give it my all. I work hard and smart. I love learning and passing on the knowledge. I love making visual effects. There are people that take one look at me, and decides that I’m probably not qualified or capable of doing the work. And there are people who take one look at me, and immediately like working with me. Somedays it feels like all of Hollywood is skewed to one side of that spectrum or the other. Just like how the rest of the world feels on certain days.
I hope my article can starts conversations that will bring the needle closer to the middle, so all of us “disabled” people can have the same kinds of opportunities in Hollywood like everyone else, minus the “disabled” barrier of entry mentality.