Meet Jennifer Kretchmer | Author, Performer, Game Designer, Producer, and Disability Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Kretchmer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I love storytelling in any medium. There is something endlessly compelling to me about the different ways that we try to expressed lived experience in art, and it was almost impossible for me to imagine having a career where I could explore those ideas, collaborate with other creatives, and hopefully create something that allows an audience to find points of connection, common humanity, and inspiration in the stories we tell. I love the unique chaos of creative collaboration and the thrill of imaginative discovery. There’s nothing like it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m endlessly curious about mythology and fairy tales, and how they reflect common themes that we constantly return to as a society. Similarly, horror is one of my favorite genres because of how it reflects our societal and global anxieties. I’m interested in how experiences translate through the lens of genre and medium.

I work in a number of very strange industries, none of which have a singular path to success. For me, it’s always been about finding things I’m passionate about, learning new skills, and working with other creatives in a collaborative way. I definitely wouldn’t call it easy–the freelance lifestyle is unrelentingly unstable and often comes in very stressful waves. I’m also not a man, working in heavily male-dominated spaces, and navigating working while being disabled, which can be extremely difficult–my pain, mobility, focus, and energy levels can vary substantially day-to-day, so I’m constantly needing to plan far in advance and think about strategies for everything. I think, especially as a producer, that this skill set, which is really common amongst disabled people, has been INCREDIBLY important. I always am thinking ahead, coming up with a multitude of backup plans, considering effective use of time and energy. It’s an asset that frequently is ignored by the nondisabled community, but one which I think is so valuable.

I think that representation is essential, whether in stories or authentically on-screen, and highlighting the stories of marginalized and multiply-marginalized people is so important to me in my work. I think that working with a team of creatives with different experiences and backgrounds always benefits the project–that’s part of the joy of collaborative creative endeavors. The work is improved exponentially, not in an additive way, and authenticity in stories makes such an immense difference.

As an ambulatory wheelchair user with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and a number of other associated conditions, it’s important to me to help dismantle binary ideas around disability. I call myself the Riddle of the Sphinx–I’m on two legs, two legs and a cane, or wheels, depending on how I’m feeling that day. People often have a very binary sense of disability–someone is either entirely blind or not, is paralyzed and can’t get out of their wheelchair, etc., when in reality, more than 90% of blind individuals have some vision, many wheelchair users are ambulatory and/or have varying mobility day-to-day. It often results in harassment or accusations of “faking,” when in actuality, people are just trying to go about their lives using the tools they need to navigate the world. I want to see more stories about that reality, and I try and let that inform my work. We also use our devices as extensions of our personality and style–I really try to emphasize the ways that mobility aids and assistive devices can be tools for self-expression and can also be really beautiful in the worlds I create. Imaginative worlds don’t need to carry the prejudices of the real world, so I design accessible universes where heroes of all types can adventure–it’s why my adventure in D&D’s Candlekeep Mysteries was the first-ever official adventure designed with a focus on accessibility, and that theme has been part of all of the books since.

Recently, I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve been doing with Skybound Games on The Walking Dead franchise. We released the Clementine graphic novel in June, and the work I, and the other two disability consultants, Eman Rimawi-Doster and Jo Beckwith, did on that book led to authentic representation in ways that I’ve never seen before. I’m also executive producing a short film with an all-disabled creative team and cast predominantly led by disabled women of color, and I’m incredibly proud of the work we’re doing.

I’m also so thrilled by a lot of the work that’s happening in tabletop games right now. There are so many incredible creators and WAYS to create in the tabletop space–game design, streamed shows, art, academia, and much, much more–and it’s so exciting to see the industry flourishing. I love creating in that space–I’m currently on three streamed shows, including Children of Éarte, with Deborah Ann Woll, and am writing for a number of projects. It’s surreal to have a place where I can really combine so many of the things I’m passionate about with a hobby I’ve had for more than two decades.

I’m so grateful that so many of the media I’m passionate about are getting better about disabled representation and hiring consultants, but we still have a long way to go, and often, shows and projects use consultants as an excuse not to hire disabled team members, as well–there are so many incredible stories to be told, and having authentic voices telling them makes all the difference. One of my favorite things is working with writing teams when the lightbulb goes off and someone says, “Oh my gosh! Why has no one been telling these stories? There’s so much here!” This often happens once they start to learn about disability history, the medical vs. social model of disability, and how the disabled community relies on mutual aid, diversity in skill sets and strengths, and creative problem-solving. It’s so meaningful, because you watch, in real time, as people completely reevaluate their understanding of the humanity and lived experience of our community, and often recognize how they’ve been drawing on our technology, experience, and adaptive skill sets without even knowing it. That’s often when I get messages from people identifying as disabled for the first time, and realizing that rather than something to fear, there’s an incredible community with a rich history as well as tools and a wealth of experience to make things easier ready to welcome them. The recognition that “disabled” is a descriptor, not an insult, is revelatory.

As strange as it sounds, one of the greatest compliments of my career (other than being told that someone started playing games, writing, or filmmaking because of my work), is that I’ve had nearly a dozen people come to me and say “Because of you, I call myself disabled.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Because I’m immunocompromised, I’ve effectively been in isolation for almost three years due to the pandemic, so I haven’t really been out much lately. But one of my favorite places to go is up to Santa Barbara wine country–it’s not a terribly long drive, and it’s so, so beautiful, It always felt like a reset on all of my stress. I also love high tea at the Huntington, going to the Getty, and checking out some of the amazing immersive theater that companies like The Speakeasy Society have been doing. I love taking people to the Tam O’Shanter Inn, for great sushi or Mexican food (often from Jonathan Gold-recommended spots), for dim sum at Empress Pavilion, for Dutch Babies at Dinah’s or fried chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s, and then to The Edison or Seven Grand for drinks. If they like puzzles, there are a ton of great escape rooms around LA, too. I usually bring first-time visitors to Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier, and then into Hollywood, so they get a bit of the LA that they imagine because of movies and TV, and then bring them through other areas–part of the charm of LA is how different the various neighborhoods are.

I’ll always miss Charlie O’s, a legendary jazz bar in the Valley that closed a few years ago and seemed to have jazz icons performing every single night, but if KCRW recommends a great jazz show or concert, I’d definitely try to catch that, too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the incredible folks in the disability community who are constantly working to improve access and inclusion for all of us. More than 26% of the US population is disabled, yet our representation is minimal and often falls into tropes, we still lack marriage equality and equal employment opportunities, and, more than 30 years after the ADA, we still constantly lack access to public spaces and social equity. Incredible leaders like Alice Wong, Ola Ojewumi, Judy Heumann, and more are tirelessly fighting for equity, access, and inclusion. Particularly in the midst of a mass disabling event, their efforts are so unbelievably important to destigmatizing disability, confronting and dismantling systemic ableism, and ensuring safety, care, and equality for all of us.

In particular, I’d highly recommend that people watch Stella Young’s TED Talk “I Am Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K9Gg164Bsw&t=4s. It’s hilarious and is one of the most comprehensive, brilliant introductions to disability out there. To me, it’s required viewing.

Website: https://linktr.ee/dreamwisp

Instagram: instagram.com/dreamwisp

Twitter: twitter.com/dreamwisp

Facebook: facebook.com/dreamwispjen

Youtube: YouTube.com/dreamwisp

Other: Twitch: twitch.tv/dreamwispjen Accessibility in Gaming Resource Guide: https://t.co/uzCODeeYjL?amp=1 TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@dreamwisp IMDB: https://imdb.com/name/nm0470970/

Image Credits
Evan Dickson, James Vela, Jennifer Kretchmer, Giles Andrews