You may not have heard of Shannon DeVido yet, but you’re about to. The 32 year old from Philadelphia with spinal muscular atrophy just landed one of the biggest roles for a person with a disability to get in a long time — a part in Amy Poehler’s latest project “Difficult People.”

In “Difficult People,” a Hulu original series, Shannon will play a “crazy storyteller.” And the cool part is that the role was not even written for someone with a disability. Shannon was able to win over the casting directors over with her quirky personality, which was exactly what they were looking for (plus the fact that she wore glasses). Her disability was just background noise. No word on when the show will be out yet, but stay tuned.

Shannon also made her national debut on television this month when she appeared on The Nightly Show on Comedy Central, the new show replacing The Colbert Report. She was in a roundtable discussion with other comedians and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (the director of Supersize Me) as they discussed obesity in America.

And in her quirky comedic way, Shannon didn’t hold back making fun of herself. When asked if she could wake up one day and no longer need a wheelchair, but would be fat for the rest of her life instead, she answered no. “Wheelchair jokes are way funnier,” she says, and the crowd loved her.

Also a musician in addition to her acting and comedy, Shannon has created a bi-monthly Youtube series called “Stare at Shannon.” She makes fun of how the world interacts with her, from the wacky “Elf on the Shelf” episode where she drives in elf gear to recreating Troy Polamalu’s wacky bucket list.

Stand-up an Improv comedy is where her heart truly is, as she puts on shows like Bent But Not Broken: A Disabled Sketch Show last year in Philly.

We are so excited to see Shannon hitting the mainstream in a big way in 2015. We’re rooting for you, Shannon! And let’s hope the Hulu series is a success. We need more disabled actors in well-known roles. They may not be as funny as Shannon, but her success will surely help.

– Watch her web series, Stare at Shannon

– Watch her on The Nightly Show

Do you watch Stare at Shannon?

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