The TV Access Project have launched a toolkit for training and education providers, with the support of ScreenSkills, National Film and Television School, Britbox UK and more.
The TV Access Project unveiled the toolkit to support screen training and education providers to confidently embed access throughout their courses for Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent learners.
Creating Accessible Courses has been designed for further and higher education, as well as Film and TV departments and training providers to support the skill development of TV workers. Each stage, from course design to delivery, has been considered to ensure Disabled talent can access the same upskilling opportunities.
Designed over the past 12 months, the toolkit comes from TAP’s Training & Education working group led by NFTS, ScreenSkills and Britbox with contributions from ITV Academy, Sky, Sky Studios, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Alliance North, BAFTA, Triple C, London Screen Academy, Falmouth University and freelancers.
At a launch event at Channel 4 on the 16th of September: Dr. Jon Wardle, Director of the National Film and Television School said: “When I think back to when I started teaching, I was so focused on making sure I knew what I was talking about, and writing my lectures each week, that I’m not sure I ever really stopped and thought: who is actually going to be in this room? Are they all going to experience this session in the same way? What might make it difficult for somebody to participate? What could I change before they even arrive? I just didn’t think like that.
"And I suspect I wasn’t unusual then – and it probably wouldn’t be that unusual now. I think that’s important because most people working in education and training want to do a good job. They care about their students. They want people to succeed.
"But good intentions aren’t enough if we haven’t thought about the barriers we might inadvertently be putting in somebody’s way.
"We have a job to do. We need to get this guide out of this room. We need universities to read it. We need colleges to read it. We need training providers to read it. And we need the people designing courses, writing budgets, recruiting students and standing at the front of classrooms to engage with it. Because there will be people like me 25 years ago. People who care enormously about their students. Who are working incredibly hard to give them a great education.
"But who perhaps haven’t yet stopped to think about who is in the room – and what might be getting in their way. The TV Access Project has set an ambitious goal of full inclusion by 2030. A report on its own won’t get us there. People using it might.
"So my ask of everyone here tonight is very simple. Share it. Send it to a university you work with. A college. A training provider. A colleague who designs courses. Someone who controls a training budget. Get it into the hands of the people making those everyday decisions. Because if we can get more people to anticipate rather than react – to think about who might be excluded before they arrive – we can make a real difference. I certainly wish I’d had something like this when I first started teaching 25 years ago.”
Lisa Opie, Executive Chair, ScreenSkills said of the resource: “Creating a genuinely inclusive screen industry means moving beyond good intentions and making accessibility part of how we recruit, develop and support talent at every stage of their careers. The TV Access Project is so important because it brings the industry together around practical, consistent action, helping to remove the barriers that too often prevent Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent talent from accessing the same opportunities to develop their skills and build sustainable careers.
"ScreenSkills is extremely proud to have played a part in developing this toolkit over the last two years, working collaboratively with TAP and partners from across the industry. It represents another important step towards embedding accessibility into the way our sector works and ensuring that everyone with the talent and ambition to succeed has the opportunity to do so."
Screenwriter, Jack Thorne, said: "The TV Access Project exists to change the condition for disabled creatives in this industry. One of the problems we identified early on was the talent pipeline. This tool is an essential tool for all those who want to join with us in changing the pathway for disabled creatives. Please use it, please elevate it, please celebrate the magnificent NFTS and ScreenSkills who have supported TAP and lead the way in embedding our collective vision."