The documentary looks at how films and television shows have portrayed disabilities through the years, and how media and popular culture have affected attitudes toward people who are different. It was a story she wanted to tell – with the help of actors Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Gary Sinise, Jane Seymour and others – because of her muscular dystrophy.

The film business is a moving target, said Gold, which may make it a little harder for someone using a wheelchair – but the 1992 graduate who now lives in Los Angeles has persisted in the industry and is releasing her newest film this year to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The film has been shown at some festivals and specialty screenings, but the Regal deal will offer a wider distribution.

Gold said her membership in the Directors Guild of America helped give her access to the actors and actresses, many of whom have disabilities or portrayed characters with disabilities.

“It’s interesting to see celebrities talk as themselves, and we’ve got a lot of big names,” she said.

Gold said her film looks at the evolution of “disability” and shows examples from movies and TV programs such as “Forrest Gump,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Game of Thrones.”

The movie also shows that many stereotypes remain in the industry, but the message is to push forward to reach your dreams, she said, adding that there are new roles and opportunities on both sides of the camera these days.

Gold said her time at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ was well spent because of the variety of experiences students have to master – writing, directing, finding locations, and other facets of the industry.

“What Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ film school teaches is perseverance, the ability to go and do things on your own,” said Gold, who drove cross-country to attend this week’s showing. “At Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝, everyone has a chance to do their own film, unlike at USC where they select a film for you to do. At Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ you learn how to produce. It widens your skillset. You need to know every aspect to be successful.”

The advice she gives to film students now is to also hone their craft by watching old great movies.

“I won’t hire an intern if they don’t know their film history,” she said. “You have to have seen Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart and know how the film business started and where it’s going.”

The “CinemAbility” screening at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ will be 5 p.m. Friday, March 27, in the Visual Arts Building hosted by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ and the Global Peace Film Festival. There will be a meet and greet with Gold before the closed captioned movie, and a Q&A afterward.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Student Disability Services will provide a sign interpreter for the Q&A, and students from associate professor of film Lisa Mills’ class will tape the Q&A for anyone who may want a copy.

For more information about “CinemAbility,” go to the film’s website: .

And their film has an uplifting message for everyone: Push forward to reach your dreams. Gold’s dream — to become a movie director — was not put aside just because she uses a wheelchair to overcome her muscular dystrophy.

Her new movie, “CinemAbility,” will be shown Sept. 16 and 18 at the Global Peace Film Festival in Winter Park and Orlando. The 100-minute documentary looks at how films and TV shows have portrayed disabilities through history, and some of the ways that media and popular culture have affected attitudes toward people who are different.

She said the film will be released in 2015 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  “The ADA changed access but it didn’t change perceptions,” she said.

What she found in the eight years making the film, she said, is that too many stereotypical representations still persist in the industry – but it is changing.

 “The film is has had a lot of support from Hollywood,” said Gold, who grew up in Miami, earned her Motion Picture Production and Radio and Television Broadcasting degrees in 1992 at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝, and now lives in Los Angeles. “The film also celebrates the history of Hollywood to show where we’ve been and where we could go to be better.”

As CSI actor Robert David Hall, whose legs were amputated after an automobile accident, said in a trailer for the film: “If society got its ideas about people with disabilities from TV, they would think that basically we’re either pathetic or superpeople.”

This documentary looks at the evolution of “disability” in entertainment by going behind the scenes to interview filmmakers, studio executives, film historians and celebrities. The film includes clips from popular movies and TV programs such as “Forrest Gump,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Game of Thrones” to focus on the impact that entertainment and the media can have on society.

Gold, a member of the Directors Guild of America – the only member who uses a wheelchair, she said – had access to the actors and actresses, many whom have portrayed people with disabilities or who have disabilities.

“I was persistent going after them, but when they heard about what we were doing, they were excited to participate,” she said. “A lot of actors are interested in helping good causes.”

The screenings for “CinemAbility” will be 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, at The Green at Rollins College, and 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Cobb Plaza Cinema in downtown Orlando. The Tuesday showing is free; tickets for Thursday are $8.

Gold also has co-written and is developing narrative feature films including a suspense thriller titled “Adrenaline,” a romantic comedy titled “Mr. December,” and family films such as “Lucky” and “Ryann Watters.” She also last year directed a television pilot titled “8-Bit Animal Playhouse” starring Jason Mewes.

Working in the industry is “about pushing forward and doing what you can. It’s about following your dreams,” Gold said, adding: “I’m a Knight forever — and now my niece is a Knight.”

This is the 12th year of the Global Peace Film Festival, which will run Sept. 17-21 and feature 21 films.