The Rock joining group that champions rights for disabled

DWAYNE JOHNSON PLAYS an amputee in his latest movie. Now he’s jumping in to help people with disabilities in real life. Johnson, who plays a former FBI agent with a prosthetic leg in the new action thriller Skyscraper, said Thursday he’s joining the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation, a leading voice in calling for more inclusion and opportunities for the disabled.

The actor nicknamed ‘The Rock’ released a short video calling for more inclusion and opportunities for people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. Johnson said Hollywood has excluded characters and actors with disabilities for too long.

“Our industry has a responsibility to tell inclusive stories, and I hope my character in Skyscraper is an example of that commitment,” Johnson said.

“I certainly encourage the entire (entertainment) industry to take steps forward to audition and cast actors with disabilities to play characters with and without disabilities. Disability is an essential piece of diversity, and our characters and actors should definitely 100 percent reflect this.”

Foundation president Jay Ruderman said Johnson’s influence in the entertainment world will help bring about positive change inside and outside Hollywood.

“People with disabilities are 20 percent of the world’s population, and their representation in popular entertainment will help reduce the stigma they face in society,” he said.