About GADIM

Promoting Disability Inclusion in Media & Entertainment

Our Mission:

The Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (GADIM) advocates for the authentic representation of people with disabilities in mass media. Our work aligns with Article 8 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ensuring disabled voices are actively included in storytelling and media production.

What We Do:

  • Advocacy – Promoting accurate and respectful disability representation.
  • Education – Providing resources and research to inform media creators.
  • Collaboration – Partnering with global organizations to improve disability inclusion.
  • Research – Studying disability representation in news, film, television, and online media.

Meet Our Founders

Beth Haller

(USA)

Media and disability scholar, retired professor of Disability Studies and Media Studies. Her 2023 book with Taylor & Francis is available as a free e-book here: Disabled People Transforming Media Culture for a More Inclusive World.

Patricia Almeida

(Brazil)

Journalist, disability advocate, and Easy Language expert. Co-founder of Movimento Down and Inclusive – Inclusion and Citizenship. Founder of Gadim Brasil and coordinator at MetaSocial Institute, working with media in Brazil.

Cátia Malaquias

(Australia)

Lawyer and advocate for disability representation in media. Founder of Starting With Julius and board member of Attitude Foundation, which promotes positive media portrayals of disability.

Our Impact & Collaborations

GADIM works globally to advance authentic disability representation in media, partnering with major organizations, media companies, and academic institutions.

  • Collaborated with the international stock photography company, Shutterstock, and the World Institute on Disability to create Authentic Portrayals of People with Disabilities Guide.
  • Provided judging for Shutterstock’sCreate Fund Artist Investment Program, which awarded $50,000 in total funding to six artists in the disability category. The production grants are given in the areas of photos, videos, and illustrations to increase and diversify Shutterstock’s portrayals of disabilities.
  • Worked with the British initiative created by Ngozi Marion Emmanuel, Disabilities in Media, to create Toolkit on the Go: Representing Disabilities in Film and Television. The Toolkit on the Go points to suggestions/recommendations for representing disabilities on screen, co-created with disabled people, filmmakers, researchers, and academics.
  • Partnered with FilmDis, founded by filmmaker and media consultant Dom Evans and screenwriter/media consultant Ashtyn Law, to study disability representation on television in 2020–2022 in a more in-depth way. FilmDis is a media monitoring organization that advocates for authentic representation and inclusion.
  • Acted as jurors for the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards each year since 2017, promoting diversity and inclusion across the international television industry.
  • Partnered with Curtin University in Perth, Australia to host a Disability, Media and Human Rights conference in April 2018.