General Hospital Among Ruderman Family Foundation Honorees

ABC soap opera wins award for diversity inclusion.

Soaps.com congratulates General Hospital, which is among five television shows honored by the Ruderman Family Foundation for their accurate depictions of people with disabilities. The ABC soap opera is joined by Netflix’s Tales of the City and Raising Dion, BBC/HBO’s Years and Years and Audience’s Loudermilk. General Hospital was honored for its casting of Maysoon Zayid as Shiloh’s (Colby Ryan McLaughlin) lawyer, Zahra Amir. She is an actress and disability advocate with cerebral palsy and is also one of America’s first Muslim women comedians. Frank Valentini, the executive producer, spoke about Zayid’s casting with The Hollywood Reporter. “Our goal has always been to provide stories that are authentic and relatable for our viewers. Having the opportunity to welcome Maysoon Zayid onto the show was exciting for us. She is an incredible talent and was a perfect fit to guest-star as Zahra Amir. It takes all kinds of people to tell a story; especially those that are rich and entertaining enough to resonate with our audience.” Zayid said to The Hollywood Reporter that landing the part fulfilled what she described as a lifelong dream, having noted she has found it difficult to land roles due to her disability.

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The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and flourishing community. Guided by their Jewish values, the foundation advocates for and advances the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout society; strengthens the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish Community; and models the practice of strategic philanthropy worldwide. They operate as a non-partisan strategic catalyst in cooperation with the government, private sectors, civil society, and philanthropies.