Each October, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy leads National Disability Employment Awareness Month, recognizing the contributions of workers with disabilities. Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) supports this mission through its weekend educational and informational (E/I) programming, which introduces young audiences to a variety of engaging career pathways, many of them STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) related.
Shows like Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, Hearts of Heroes, and Lucky Dog are hosted by experts, scientists, and meteorologists. Programs such as The Visioneers, Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin: Expedition Florida, and Mission Unstoppable regularly feature conservationists, engineers, inventors, zoologists, astronauts, and oceanographers, among others. Thanks to HMPG’s long-time partnerships with the U.S. Department of Education and accessibility company, Bridge Multimedia, all of these programs are available with captions and audio description making them accessible to the nearly eight million U.S. students with sensory or cognitive disabilities.
John Cavanagh, Bridge’s Chief Innovation Officer, said,
“National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a perfect time to reflect on career exploration through children’s and family television and the importance of these shows being made available to all students.”
Frank Biancuzzo, President of HPMG said,
“By showcasing a broad spectrum of career pathways, our national E/I programming empowers and inspires children of all abilities to imagine their futures.”
To learn more about the 80th Anniversary of National Disability Awareness Month, check out the website at the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep.
Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Spread the word!
The Bridge Team
About Hearst Media Production Group
Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), a business unit of Hearst Television, is an independent producer and distributor of original programming for TV stations, broadcast and cable networks and streaming services. HMPG produces hundreds of hours of Emmy® Award-winning programming annually across linear, streaming, digital and social media platforms for domestic and international distribution in 100 countries. Its popular weekly educational/informational (E/I) programming blocks air weekends nationwide including “Weekend Adventure,” on ABC stations; “CBS WKND,” on the CBS Network; “The More You Know,” on the NBC Network; “One Magnificent Morning,” on the CW Network; “Mi Telemundo” on the Telemundo Network and “Go Time” on independent stations. HMPG also produces and/or distributes a diverse slate of other programming and content including the company’s dedicated FAST channels Xplore, The Jack Hanna Channel, Rovr Pets, and Lucky Dog Channel, available on some of the most popular smart TVs and streaming platforms. HMPG has offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Charlotte. HMPG is represented by United Talent Agency.
About Bridge Multimedia
Bridge Multimedia is a New York City-based social enterprise dedicated to advancing all facets of universal access for educational, entertainment, corporate and governmental applications. The Bridge team includes specialists in Accessibility, Special Education, Childhood Development, Neurology, Linguistics, Sign Language Interpretation, Cognition, Universal Design Technology, and Television Production. Bridge provides accessible media services, ADA compliance and workforce solutions designed to make the ever-changing media landscape equally available to all people.
