Dominick Evans
Dominick Ławniczak Evans (born December 26, 1980) is a Polish and Irish American filmmaker, activist, Twitch streamer, public speaker, writer, and former activist for disabled people and the LGBT community. His works and activism tend to focus on the LGBT community and the disability rights movement. Early life. Evans was born in Toledo, Ohio to a Polish-American father, David Ławniczak (d. 2001), who was deaf, and Irish-American mother, Pam Ryan. Dominick grew up in Walbridge, Ohio with an older brother. He also has two half brothers from his father's first marriage who did not live  with his family. Evans had a contentious relationship with his parents, particularly his mother, which escalated when he came out at the age of 16. His father died of heart failure in 2001. Evans was close with his grandparents Willis "Willie" and Melba "Noonie" Ryan, who helped raise Dominick and his older brother. His grandmother, Noonie, was a singer on the radio in Toledo and taught him to sing. Dominick was a child actor and singer, as well as a poster child for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, although he no longer supports the organization, claiming it does harm to the  disabled community. He attended Lake High School in Millbury, Ohio, where he graduated with honors in 1999. He had trouble finding the right college, where he was initially studying theater and acting. Dominick originally attended Bowling Green State University while still in high school. He left BGSU in 2000 to attend Wright State University, but had to leave due to an injury. He returned to WSU in 2010, where he completed his BFA in Motion Pictures Production. He also spent a year studying theatre at a satellite school for the University of Michigan from 2009 to 2010. Evans had a  difficult childhood where he was bullied incessantly at school. In 2018, Dominick was featured in the book "American Hate: Survivors Speak Out" by community activist and professor Arjun Singh Sethi. His chapter explores an experience in high school where he was tortured by classmates as a part of a senior prank when he was a sophomore. He also talks about the rise in bullying and hate for disabled and transgender people during the Trump presidency along with his fear of being outed publicly in his neighborhood as a result of the political climate. Career. Film. Evans completed his first film , "trip", in 2013. It won a 2015 Indie Fest Award of Recognition. He has worked on other films including the short film, "Nance + Sydney". As of 2020, he is currently producing two short films, "Inamorata" and "Overture". "Inamorata" is about a lesbian couple in the 1960s, while "Overture" is about two queer wheelchair users who meet in a nursing home. Dominick's films tend to be about marginalized individuals, and he works with diverse film crews that are predominantly made up of minority filmmakers. Activism. Evans has been advocating for the disability community since his youth. He has been  heavily involved in the movement for better portrayals of transgender people and disability in film and other media, as well as the marriage equality movement for both LGBTQ and disabled people. He was invited to attend the White House's first forum on disability and LGBT issues in June 2014. While in college, Evans studied disability in film, television, and other media. He was disturbed by what he felt was a huge lack of inclusion for disabled actors and filmmakers in the industry. He has made it a tenet of his activism, speaking on the topic regularly, including at Lights , Camera, Access! 2.0 at New York University and John Jay College in July 2015 and mentoring disabled media, film, and communication students at the White House in November 2016 via the video robot ALF. Dominick is one of the few people to have the privilege of controlling a robot at the White House from across the country. In 2014, Evans started the Twitter discussion #FilmDis, a now-monthly discussion that explores the problems with inclusion of those with disabilities, as well as portrayals of disability in film, television, and other media. Discussions have been attended by notable filmmakers, comic book  writers, and actors. He also hosted a panel on this topic entitled "Crip Culture and the Media – Perceptions of Disability in Film and Television" at 2015's New York Comic Con. In 2016, he returned to New York Comic Con via Skype for the panel "Where are the Wheelchairs?", which also included author and activist Day Al-Mohamed; model and activist Jillian Mercado; actress, comedian, and advocate Maysoon Zayid; and actor, comedian, and activist Steve Way. Dominick previously worked at the Center for Disability Rights in New York as a media and entertainment advocate. In 2016, Dominick was involved in  protests against the film "Me Before You", a film in which a disabled man travels to Switzerland for assisted suicide. Evans is a leading voice in the movement for marriage equality for people with disabilities. He worked with LGBT marriage equality activists in Ohio, to discuss the issue and its relations to the topic of LGBT marriage. He currently streams video games and web shows on Twitch. As of 2019, he has been working in Hollywood with film and television studios, such as  Lionsgate and Netflix, as an independent consultant. Spaces. In 2021, Dominick directed the music video for the  song "Spaces" by James Ian. Evans directed the video from his home, where he was in bed, due to chronic pain. Evans believes that he has proven that disabled directors are capable of directing from any location. His next goal is to develop a television show he can direct from his home in Michigan. Honors. Evans was named one of eight "LGBT influencers you need to know in New York City" in the summer of 2016 by Time Out. Evans was named one of New Mobility's 2016 People of the Year for being part of a protest against assisted  suicide. Personal life. Evans lives in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. He has worked primarily with his creative partner, Ashtyn Law, since 2002. Dominick has started consulting on scripts for studios such as Lionsgate and shows airing on networks like Netflix. Evans was born with a degenerative neuromuscular disability, spinal muscular atrophy. He was diagnosed with Type III of SMA at age 4, and has had to use a wheelchair full-time since 1997. He also has asthma, chronic pain, ADD, OCD and is hard of hearing. Evans is non-binary, transgender and queer, and uses he/him and they /them pronouns.