In an entertainment industry powered by visibility and self-promotion, Dominique Dauwe has opted for something far more radical: quiet, systemic change.

For more than two decades, the Belgian actor, musician, producer, and advocate has worked not just to broaden representation of disability in film and television, but to challenge the very frameworks that have historically excluded it. His approach is less about spectacle and more about structure, an effort to ensure that access and authenticity are not exceptions, but expectations.

Dauwe’s projects consistently prioritize authenticity and access. He appeared in Becoming Bulletproof (2014), a Showtime documentary that followed a mixed-ability cast as they created a Western short film. The project offered a rare and unfiltered look at inclusive filmmaking, emphasizing collaboration over condescension.

He later executive produced Best Summer Ever (2020), a high-energy musical that broke new ground by casting disabled artists in lead roles and staffing much of its crew with disabled professionals. The film, which was executive produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Amy Brenneman, with cameo’s of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and Benjamin Bratt, was lauded not just for its charm, but for its quiet insistence that inclusion need not be treated as exceptional.

In 2022, Dauwe produced What’s Done Is Done, a music video released in honor of World Down Syndrome Day and starring Quincy Jones Award recipients Jamie Brewer and Zachary Gottsagen. Praised for its nuance and emotional depth, the video offered more than just a tender love story, it was a pointed reminder of the dire need for broader, more authentic representation in pop culture.