![[with]tv](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpAZWKxnDCFUpNhQs-zPzjMcSoMGRspfcgumQoHSwANqE_3CPAqf0cLmtKTmEPr4AUe1jDQCL0CB44QLrcdHUSDSGLpyTiVBtqgPezCp1NEAtk6dSrDhFH7BcKF7SNyZOefbOVOW6FFs/s1600/gse_multipart58166.jpg)
Written by: Mark Siegel
I love television. For a long time, a statement like that was likely to earn you sneers from the intelligentsia. After all, television was supposed to be a wasteland that that catered to the lowest common denominator. Cheap laughs, shallow characters, simplistic plots: television was supposed to have none of the qualities of great art or literature. Television belonged to the great unwashed masses and it would never transcend its pedestrian limitations. At least, that was the conventional wisdom.
In truth, television has never been quite as mind-numbing as its critics proclaimed. For every dozen wretched sitcoms, there's at least one MASH. For every hackneyed drama, there's at least one The Sopranos. But now, television writers are finally beginning to realize that television is capable of telling layered stories with complex characters. Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Office, The Wire: these shows rival and sometimes surpass anything that can be seen at the multiplex. There are so many good stories being told on television that I was compelled to add extra storage space to my TiVo.
And that's why I'm so excited about [with]tv. It's an opportunity to tell some great stories--our stories. As people with disabilities, we have perspectives and experiences that don't get much play in the media, except for the occasional human interest story on the local news. When [with]tv becomes a reality, it will give us the means to tell our stories on our terms. But I don't want [with]tv to simply be "the disabled channel". I want to see shows that aren't just about people with disabilities; I want to see shows that feature characters who happen to have disabilities. Sometimes the disability will be a part of the story and sometimes it won't even be mentioned. Because isn't that how it is for most of us with a disability? There are those occasions when our disabilities are front and center and can't be ignored, but much of the time it's background noise.
Over the coming weeks and months, I'll be posting here about various topics related to disability, pop culture, and whatever my current television obsession is. I'll do my best to keep it interesting. I'm really excited to be part of the [with]tv community.
Showing posts with label [with]tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label [with]tv. Show all posts
9/6/07
9/4/07
9/2/07
8/26/07
Join Us at [with]tv
If you would like to find out how you can help move [with]tv forward, please e-mail Howard Renensland, CEO, at hrenensland@with-tv.com
If you would like to contribute articles for our blog, please e-mail Connie, Blog Master, at articles@with-tv.com
Please note that by sending in a submission you pledge to adhere to the following requirements:
1. You must be the sole author of your submission.
2. By submitting content to [with]tv, Inc., you give [with]tv, Inc. the permission to publish your submission in this blog, on our web site at http://www.with-tv.com/, on any future form of media that falls under the [with]tv, Inc. umbrella whether it be other web sites operated by [with]tv, Inc., television, radio, or any other medium of [with]tv's choosing, with no expectation of present or future remuneration by [with]tv, Inc.
3. By submitting content to [with]tv, Inc., you acknowledge that all content submitted is not subject to any exclusivity arrangements with a third party.
If you would like to contribute articles for our blog, please e-mail Connie, Blog Master, at articles@with-tv.com
Please note that by sending in a submission you pledge to adhere to the following requirements:
1. You must be the sole author of your submission.
2. By submitting content to [with]tv, Inc., you give [with]tv, Inc. the permission to publish your submission in this blog, on our web site at http://www.with-tv.com/, on any future form of media that falls under the [with]tv, Inc. umbrella whether it be other web sites operated by [with]tv, Inc., television, radio, or any other medium of [with]tv's choosing, with no expectation of present or future remuneration by [with]tv, Inc.
3. By submitting content to [with]tv, Inc., you acknowledge that all content submitted is not subject to any exclusivity arrangements with a third party.
8/18/07
Calling All Bloggers...and everyone else
Dear Friends,
As a volunteer working with the folks at [with]tv I have recently been honored with the title “blog master”. In that capacity I am writing to disability bloggers I know and respect to ask for support. I (we) are hoping you would be willing to either write a post, submit a post you’ve already written, or even join us as a “columnist” and submit posts whenever the mood strikes.
Posts can be submitted to my attention at articles@with-tv.com. This blog is a work in progress and I (we) sure would appreciate your support. While you’re here, please sign the Guest Book and let us know what you think. We’re working hard to spread the word. Anything you can do to help would surely give us a boost!
Thank you,
Connie Kuusisto
Blog Master, [with]tv
P.S. A person need not be a blogger to submit articles to [with]tv or to sign the Guest Book. Anyone interested in the topic of disability is encouraged to participate.
Cross-posted on the Planet of the Blind
8/16/07
Support [with]tv
[with]tv would like your show of support to demonstrate to our potential corporate partners, advertisers and investors that there is not only a need for our service, but strong American and International support for our programming. Please read the support letter, click on "Guest Book" below, and fill out the form.
________________________________________________________________________
Howard Renensland
CEO and Founder
[with]tv
Dear Mr. Renensland:
I would like to express my wholehearted support for [with]tv’s mission of providing accessible television and Internet programming that, while appealing to broader markets, is focused on providing high quality, news and entertainment programming that meets the needs and interests of persons with disabilities, and those committed to them personally, professionally, and commercially.
People with disabilities have a global need as individuals and as a community for access to information, employment, artistic expression, and control of their image. The disability community, which in the United States alone is 54 million strong with a discretionary income of $220 billion, is a grossly underutilized source of both talent and market share for companies, making [with]tv a win-win solution for individuals, society, and business.
I intend to support your content, partners, and advertisers in every way possible. I congratulate you on the work that you and your colleagues at [with]tv have done thus far and wish you the best of luck going forward. Please keep me informed of your progress and let me know if I may be of any further assistance.
To show your support of [with]tv, please sign our Guest Book.
7/30/07
Supporting Our Efforts
Today marks the appearance on the [with]tv web site and blog of our "Support Letter." While this may indeed pale in comparison to the day the Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted, it has its own importance. While someone famous once said, "all comparisons are odious," there is one striking similarity here worth noting!. The ONLY reason the ADA became the law of the land (we will not go into how it was received or how enforced) was because of the tireless and relentless energies of a large number of people doing small and great things to make it so. This was one occasion when it was good to "fixate" on something. Here is a second.
I am firmly convinced that when [with]tv successfully culminates with an operational television and web broadcasting channel, we will overnight alter, for the better, the lives of all people with disabilities in the world now and forever. We will also be able to document and publicize the heroic public and private efforts of those who came before us to forge out a community-wide agenda and personal empowerment. We will change overnight the global perception and opportunity for all people with disabilities by employment in arguably the most highly regarded and "in demand" industry out there - "Show Business".
Imagine Mary Tyler Moore in a wheelchair, Brian Williams using American Sign Language (ASL), a blind Tony Soprano, and a desperate housewife with developmental disabilities! We have them on the drawing board and in development. We need you now though. What do we need you to do? We need you to sign and publicize our Support Letter as much as you can. If Mitch, Anna, and I can go into meetings with potential investors and advertisers and show them a list of individuals, families, organizations and businesses numbering in the millions (there are no reasons we cannot), their heads will snap and they will cover their ears at the loud ringing of cash registers resounding in their heads.
It is up to me and you - each and every one of us -- to make this happen for ourselves, our friends, our children, for those who came before and who will come after. No hand outs, no requests for inclusion, no seminars on "hiring the handicapped," "employing the disabled," just good old blood, sweat and tears. This we can do, because we have done so before. Let's go to work my friends.
Howard Renensland, Founder and CEO of [with]tv
I am firmly convinced that when [with]tv successfully culminates with an operational television and web broadcasting channel, we will overnight alter, for the better, the lives of all people with disabilities in the world now and forever. We will also be able to document and publicize the heroic public and private efforts of those who came before us to forge out a community-wide agenda and personal empowerment. We will change overnight the global perception and opportunity for all people with disabilities by employment in arguably the most highly regarded and "in demand" industry out there - "Show Business".
Imagine Mary Tyler Moore in a wheelchair, Brian Williams using American Sign Language (ASL), a blind Tony Soprano, and a desperate housewife with developmental disabilities! We have them on the drawing board and in development. We need you now though. What do we need you to do? We need you to sign and publicize our Support Letter as much as you can. If Mitch, Anna, and I can go into meetings with potential investors and advertisers and show them a list of individuals, families, organizations and businesses numbering in the millions (there are no reasons we cannot), their heads will snap and they will cover their ears at the loud ringing of cash registers resounding in their heads.
It is up to me and you - each and every one of us -- to make this happen for ourselves, our friends, our children, for those who came before and who will come after. No hand outs, no requests for inclusion, no seminars on "hiring the handicapped," "employing the disabled," just good old blood, sweat and tears. This we can do, because we have done so before. Let's go to work my friends.
Howard Renensland, Founder and CEO of [with]tv
Welcome
Dear Friend,
On August 13, 1984 my life was wonderfully transformed. My daughter Victoria, a person with disabilities was born. At first this meant fighting for her physical survival and then fighting against her exclusion from opportunities her friends without disabilities enjoyed. Victoria and I fought for her access to playgrounds, pre-school, and kindergarten through high school. We fought for her access to worship, recreation, and socialization. We carried on topost-secondary inclusion at a fine university. Then came “the real world” and the forces excluding her there were the most formidable yet.
Our experiences of the past 22 years have crystallized my thinking. I believe the single most debilitating factor limiting people with disabilities is not their disability, but their image in mainstream media. When profiled, they remain objects of extreme pity or extreme inspiration. This image is not one of their choosing. As long as others define you, you do not exist.
As I write this letter, there is no mainstream television channel in the world addressing the needs of and targeting people with disabilities as viewers, consumers and participants. I resolve to change that by creating [with]tv, an inclusive media outlet that defines all people by their talents and the quality of their stories, rather than by disability; a place where Victoria and everyone else can work in a universally designed workplace with a welcoming, inclusive workforce.
People with disabilities have a global need for access to information, employment, artistic expression and control of their image. Furthermore, the need extends beyond people with disabilities. The disability community is a grossly underutilized source of market-share for companies, making a win-win solution for individuals, society, and business.
People with disabilities welcome you to the world of [with]tv, a television channel of, by, and for people with disabilities…and everyone else! We invite you to learn more about our business and our stories.
Sincerely,
Howard Renensland
President & Founder
On August 13, 1984 my life was wonderfully transformed. My daughter Victoria, a person with disabilities was born. At first this meant fighting for her physical survival and then fighting against her exclusion from opportunities her friends without disabilities enjoyed. Victoria and I fought for her access to playgrounds, pre-school, and kindergarten through high school. We fought for her access to worship, recreation, and socialization. We carried on topost-secondary inclusion at a fine university. Then came “the real world” and the forces excluding her there were the most formidable yet.
Our experiences of the past 22 years have crystallized my thinking. I believe the single most debilitating factor limiting people with disabilities is not their disability, but their image in mainstream media. When profiled, they remain objects of extreme pity or extreme inspiration. This image is not one of their choosing. As long as others define you, you do not exist.
As I write this letter, there is no mainstream television channel in the world addressing the needs of and targeting people with disabilities as viewers, consumers and participants. I resolve to change that by creating [with]tv, an inclusive media outlet that defines all people by their talents and the quality of their stories, rather than by disability; a place where Victoria and everyone else can work in a universally designed workplace with a welcoming, inclusive workforce.
People with disabilities have a global need for access to information, employment, artistic expression and control of their image. Furthermore, the need extends beyond people with disabilities. The disability community is a grossly underutilized source of market-share for companies, making a win-win solution for individuals, society, and business.
People with disabilities welcome you to the world of [with]tv, a television channel of, by, and for people with disabilities…and everyone else! We invite you to learn more about our business and our stories.
Sincerely,
Howard Renensland
President & Founder
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