Teal Sherer is an American actress with a

physical disability A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epileps ...

who is an advocate for the inclusion of performers with disabilities in the entertainment industry. She is best known for her portrayal of Venom in the web series '' The Guild'' and as herself in her own series "My Gimpy Life". She was also a member of Full Radius Dance.

Career

Early career

While in college, Teal performed in plays such as The House of Bernarda Alba and Antigone. In addition to performance, she participated more and more fully in the aspects of live theatre, such as stage management, ushering, and ticket sales. In addition, she performed with the Full Radius Dance Company, a

physically integrated dance The physically integrated dance movement is part of the disability culture movement, which recognizes and celebrates the first-person experience of disability, not as a medical model construct but as a social phenomenon, through artistic, litera ...

troupe. Her first role in a feature film was in 2004, in Kenneth Branagh's film '' Warm Springs'' alongside Cynthia Nixon, Kathy Bates, Branagh himself, and Felicia Day.

Current Productions

In 2011 Teal created a pilot called "My Gimpy Life", envisioned as a comedy, written by Gabe Uhr, and directed by

Sean Becker Sean Peter Becker (born 7 July 1975 in Ranfurly, New Zealand, Ranfurly) is a New Zealand curler. Career Becker was the skip for New Zealand teams which won three Pacific Curling Championships in 1998, 2003, and 2004. He has also played for the ...

. It premiered at ITVfest on August 6, 2011.. The second season of "My Gimpy Life" began its

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign on May 15, 2013.

Personal life

Teal was born to Suzanne and Charles Sherer, and grew up near

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

. At the age of 14, en route to a Labor Day fireworks show, Teal was involved in an automobile accident. Her injuries to her back left her

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

. Teal regained her independence and mobility through undergoing therapy at the Shepherd Center in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Teal graduated from Lenior City High School, and went on to study at Oglethorpe University. While a student there, she found her passion for acting. In 2004, while still living in Atlanta, she was cast in '' Warm Springs''. In 2012, she married Ali Alsaleh.

References

External links

Home Page

Full Radius Dance
* American television actresses Living people American female dancers American dancers 1980 births People with paraplegia American web series actresses 21st-century American actresses American actors with disabilities {{US-tv-actor-1980s-stub