TV, film students to be selected for Loreen Arbus Foundation scholarships

The American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) and The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation have announced two scholarships funded by the Loreen Arbus Foundation that commemorate the 20th anniversary in 2010 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The partnership creates the Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship that will be given to aspiring student TV and filmmakers. The scholarships will be presented at the April 10, 2010 College Television Awards, the Television Academy Foundation’s annual celebration of the best in student TV, digital and film work in the United States.

AWRT’s scholarship competition will challenge students to create a 60-second public service announcement that tells the compelling story of disability in America, the societal changes effected by the Americans with Disabilities Act that have enabled them to become more independent and self-sufficient, and the contributions Americans with disabilities have made. The PSA will be prominently displayed on AWRT’s Web site and social media outlets and will be showcased during the Television Academy Foundation’s College Television Awards and at the July 2010 National Summit on Disability Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

On behalf of the Television Academy Foundation, the other scholarship will recognize a young talent whose work sheds light on people with disabilities, helps emerging artists gain recognition and increases visibility for artists with disabilities. The scholarship will be presented to student writers, producers or directors with disabilities; producers of content focused on people with disabilities; or for a piece that features one or more actors with disabilities.

The scholarships are funded by philanthropist and social activist Loreen Arbus, the first woman in the United States to head programming for two cable networks, Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime. Arbus is known for her work with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), which was founded by her parents, Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson, founder/chairman of ABC. The fifth-largest U.S. health agency, UCP serves and advocates on behalf of more than 54 million Americans with disabilities.