How Team Trust Is Changing Disability Representation in Media and Marketing ~ 1019

Intro — Show & Host

Tim Villegas
From MCIE. Producing podcasts on the road can be tricky, so this episode is a bit stripped down. My name is Tim Villegas from the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, and you’re listening to Think Inclusive—a show where, with every conversation, we try to build bridges between families, educators, and disability rights advocates to create a shared understanding of inclusive education and what inclusion looks like in the real world. You can learn more about who we are and what we do at MCIE.org.

For this episode, I speak with Ryan Wilson, the director of Team Trust Productions. Ryan created Team Trust to help mission‑driven organizations reach and serve their communities. He wants to connect people with the entities, organizations, and resources they deserve to grow and flourish. Ryan’s heart is advocating for persons with disabilities, because he is one. He has befriended people with the same disability as his (Osteogenesis Imperfecta) and has established lifelong relationships with people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities, and mental illnesses. Each one of these relationships changed his life.

Sponsor Message — Together Letters

Tim Villegas
Before we get into today’s interview, I want to tell you about our sponsor, Together Letters. Are you losing touch with people in your life but don’t want to be on social media all the time? Together Letters is a group email newsletter that asks members for updates and combines them into a single newsletter for everyone. All you need is email. We’re using Together Letters so Think Inclusive patrons can keep in touch with each other. Groups of 10 or less are free, and you can sign up at togetherletters.com.

Thank you so much for listening. And now, it is my pleasure to welcome Ryan Wilson to the Think Inclusive Podcast.

Q1 — Why is authentic disability representation in media important?

Tim Villegas
Why is it important for people with disabilities to be represented authentically in the media?

Ryan Wilson
That’s a good question. It’s important for anybody to be represented authentically in the media, whether you have a disability or not. But for the disability community, we are often inaccurately represented in commercials, films, shows, marketing, photos, and in the news. Although this is changing, we’re often cast as “inspirations” because of disability—as if being in a wheelchair means I’m inspiring because I’m “conquering” my disability. I don’t think I’m conquering my disability; I just have one.

We’re not portrayed accurately. When the person telling our story takes time to understand who we are on a personal level, that changes the perspective of the storyteller and the audience. You’d have a better idea that I’m not conquering my disability; I have a disability and a life, just like anyone else. The difference is that my experiences might be a little different than yours. You might not know what it’s like to go to a beach with your family and realize you can’t get to the ocean because a power wheelchair doesn’t go in sand. At the end of the day, we’re all humans, and genuine, authentic connection is powerful.

Q2 — An example of authentic representation

Tim Villegas
Can you remember a time where you saw disability authentically represented? What did that do for you?

Ryan Wilson
A couple of films come to mind. One is Crip Camp, which tells a remarkable story about a remarkable camp doing great things. Individuals with disabilities aren’t cast as inspirations or as suffering; we see them laughing and smiling. It shows the whole spectrum of emotion and experience.

Another is Rising Phoenix, which focuses on powerful stories of Paralympians and balances disability with humanity.

Q3 — What is Team Trust Productions?

Tim Villegas
Tell me about Team Trust Productions.

Ryan Wilson
Team Trust Productions is a disability‑led video production company. The main goal is to authentically portray and tell the stories of individuals with disabilities. We started with a film we did in Winter Park, Colorado, on visually impaired skiers and their sighted guides. We’ve worked with nonprofits across the U.S. to create videos that highlight their impact on the disability community.

We’re also expanding into higher education—working with universities and community colleges to help them improve their understanding of the disability community. That means making sure their marketing is accessible and inclusive and accurately represents disability. It can involve videos, content review, and strategies to ensure current and future students feel like they belong and know they are welcome across campus.

Q4 — Current higher‑ed projects & perception gaps

Tim Villegas
And you’re currently working on a number of projects for higher ed?

Ryan Wilson
Yes, we are.

Tim Villegas
You’re like, you’re so busy.

Ryan Wilson
We have a few projects going on right now. It’s interesting to learn how higher education views disability—especially from an external side, like what we see on their websites. When we talk with leadership, there’s often a difference between how I perceive disability and how they perceive it, and that’s fine—we’re all learning. But there’s a learning curve to understanding why it’s important to highlight and promote disability consistently.

Q5 — A concrete example from higher ed

Tim Villegas
Is there an example that you can give?

Ryan Wilson
A big one is that universities, generally speaking, don’t grasp the importance of including disability within diversity. Across industries, there’s a push to include diversity in marketing to represent the world we live in, but that often doesn’t include disability—even though disability is the largest minority in the world.

Many university leaders don’t have disabilities and often don’t have a personal connection to the disability community, so they don’t understand why it’s important to, for example, do a film on a high‑achieving disabled student or add ASL to videos. Many universities are working on accessible websites because it’s the law, but going beyond legal compliance is still something they’re trying to grasp.

Tim Villegas
I think you make a good point about leadership: there aren’t enough school leaders in higher education who have disabilities or a personal connection. We see this in K–12 as well. School boards make decisions about curriculum and hiring, and they set the tone for equity and inclusion initiatives. If it’s not on their radar, they won’t think it’s important.

Ryan Wilson
Exactly. I try to tell personal stories about how certain things would have benefited me in college. When I graduated from high school, I went to a community college first—it was 20 minutes from home, I could stay with my parents, raid the fridge, and save money.

When I went to the University of Illinois after that—an hour and a half away—there was no staying at home. My parents had concerns about my safety at a big Division I school with 50,000 students: What would I do in an emergency? Where would I find personal assistants? Many questions were left unanswered.

I tell universities about not knowing these things and how, if we openly address how you serve the disability community, someone like me would be more inclined to utilize your campus and classes. One reason I went to the University of Illinois was because I knew I was welcome there. They had a dorm that was extremely accessible—every door was automatic. If you know a place is welcoming, you’ll want to go there; you won’t want to fight your way in just because it’s close to home.

Tim Villegas
And I wasn’t interested in going to a four‑year school right next door to home.

Q6 — Illinois & moving to Colorado

Tim Villegas
University of Illinois—that’s the Fighting Illini?

Ryan Wilson
It sure is—the Fighting Illini. That’s where I went. My dad and I followed Illinois sports when I was a kid, and I just kept on following the Illini, even during the losses.

Tim Villegas
But you’re in Colorado right now.

Ryan Wilson
I am—Colorado Springs. I moved here last August, so pretty recent. One day I realized I was tired of being surrounded by cornfields. I wanted higher ground, literally and figuratively. Where I am in Colorado, I don’t see any corn—it’s sometimes hard to find even in the grocery store. I’m close to the Air Force Academy, so I still have a university in sight, but it’s a totally different vibe than central Illinois.

Q7 — What could have helped in K–12?

Tim Villegas
What are some things that would have helped you in K–12 education?

Ryan Wilson
Do you mean things that would have helped me find a good university, or improved my K–12 experience?

Tim Villegas
Improve your experience. I shouldn’t assume you had a bad experience.

Ryan Wilson
I try not to think about K–12 too often. I had personal assistants who helped me every day at school—they carried my books and made sure nobody hit me. Overall, I had a good experience. I was in the marching band in high school; I played percussion, primarily xylophone.

It would have helped to include me more in conversations about what I could do and what I wanted to do. Nothing was bad, but it seemed like I was limited to a couple of instruments we could modify to my wheelchair. I didn’t want to play bass drum on my back; that wouldn’t work. Maybe I would’ve enjoyed other instruments in the percussion arena. I played miscellaneous things—the cowbell, triangle, xylophone—but maybe a snare drum would have been fine.

I’ll admit I wasn’t the best percussionist. I had priorities, and those priorities weren’t always school. I tried to compete with my very academically smart brother, but he was so far ahead of me. I’d just enjoy my NBA and Cheetos and call it a day.

Q8 — Job search after college

Tim Villegas
When you left college and were trying to find a job, what was that experience like as a person with a disability?

Ryan Wilson
Job hunting fresh from college can be challenging for many people with disabilities, for lots of reasons. In my final semester, I had some exciting projects and interviewed for a job in Colorado Springs that I really wanted. I didn’t get it.

After that, I applied for maybe 60 to 70 jobs—I lost track—and I felt like I was spinning my wheels. I decided to go the “free” route for experience: I did an unpaid internship with the Big Ten Network at the University of Illinois, creating films. Eventually, you need to pay bills, and that did lead to a few opportunities within the UI system. But for me, the best and most meaningful route was to create Team Trust. I saw opportunities, and the pay is better than unpaid work. The unpaid internship did pay off in the long run. It was a period of applying to a lot of jobs, feeling desperate at times, and eventually finding a way through.

Q9 — Founding Team Trust

Tim Villegas
When did you create or found Team Trust?

Ryan Wilson
Technically, January 4, 2021, but the idea had been brewing from the film we did at Winter Park.

Q10 — The film & switching from sportscasting to storytelling

Tim Villegas
When did you complete the film?

Ryan Wilson
We were in Winter Park filming in January 2018. We wrapped it within a few months. That was just a film, and then I decided, “What if I made this a business?” That’s when I formed the LLC.

Tim Villegas
Were you a media major?

Ryan Wilson
Journalism. I entered college wanting to be a play‑by‑play sports announcer for the NBA. I grew up watching Shaquille O’Neal; I wanted to be Shaq. He’s a lot taller than I am, so the more realistic way to be involved in the NBA was play‑by‑play. At the U of I, I announced some Fighting Illini games—men’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, and women’s basketball.

I realized storytelling was more meaningful—sitting down with someone, getting to know who they are beyond social media, learning what motivates them and what life is like when nobody is around. That struck me, and that’s why Team Trust formed the way it did.

Tim Villegas
So the film that you made—

Ryan Wilson
Seeing With Trust.

Tim Villegas
Once you made the film and thought, “This could be what I do,” walk me through the steps after you decided to go that route.

Ryan Wilson
There were quite a few steps. I was trying to find and create an opportunity that would be fulfilling and meaningful but could also support me financially. Fresh from college, I didn’t know much about running a business. An idea can sound good to me, but does it sound good to a university or nonprofit? What data backs it up?

Initially, I established the LLC and thought, “I should do something with this.” Like most new business owners, there was a big trial‑and‑error period: if a million things don’t work, maybe one will. I kind of feel like I’m still in that phase, but I’ve learned and grown a lot. Looking back, that period of making a zillion mistakes was important. I just keep making more—hopefully better ones.

Q11 — Goals for Team Trust

Tim Villegas
What’s your goal with Team Trust? You have projects in higher education—is that something you want to keep doing, or do you want to do something else?

Ryan Wilson
Higher education is crucial for Team Trust because more kids are being born with disabilities, and universities will continue to see more students with disabilities requesting accommodations. It’s important to understand, even at a basic level, why it matters to build a personal connection with the disability community.

I’m open to many directions. The end goal is to help businesses—regardless of size—understand the importance and value of the disability community and integrate disability into what they’re already doing on a consistent basis. Big companies like Apple and Google do big things with disability, but that’s not the case for most businesses. If Team Trust can help change that, that’s satisfying.

Q12 — A message to educators

Tim Villegas
Our audience is mostly educators—school leaders, principals, special education teachers, general education teachers—people who work in schools. What would you like to leave with that audience?

Ryan Wilson
It’s important to understand that any student with a disability is human. We all have hearts, and we all appreciate feeling safe, heard, seen, and understood. We can get busy teaching a class and working on the agenda and forget what matters: truly touching students’ lives on a personal level.

It’s great to get an A—everyone should go for an A+. I can’t say I got many, but I had a couple of professors who took time to understand and listen to who I was. Because of that, I excelled in their classes. I knew I had someone who had my back, who was open to accommodating my requests and needs, and who also challenged me.

We may look different or approach life differently. If you take a moment to ask what we’re interested in or what we like or don’t like about your class, we can build a personal connection that goes beyond the classroom. Those two professors became solid friends after the classes, and I still stay in touch. I did get an A+ in their class. All we can do is try.

Closing

Tim Villegas
Ryan Wilson, thank you so much for spending some time on the Think Inclusive Podcast.

Ryan Wilson
Thank you so much, Tim, and everybody, for listening.

Tim Villegas
Think Inclusive is written, edited, and sound‑designed by Tim Villegas, and is a production of MCIE. Original music by Miles Kredich. If you enjoyed today’s episode, here’s one way you can help our podcast grow: become a patron and get access to ad‑free episodes, behind‑the‑scenes posts, join our Together Letters group, and get a sneak preview of MCIE’s new podcast series, Inclusion Stories. In fact, I’m here in Seattle, Washington this week getting more tape for our podcast series—this is so exciting, folks.

Special thanks to our patrons Melissa H., Sonya A., Pamela P., Mark C., Kathy B., Kathleen T., Jarrett T., Gabby M., Erin P., and Paula W. for their support of Think Inclusive.

For more information about inclusive education, or to learn how MCIE can partner with you and your school or district, visit mcie.org. Thanks for your time and attention, and remember: Inclusion Always Works.