Accessible Futures Summit to benefit carers and those with health conditions

A Welsh media consortium has united academic and industry allies to make the media sector more inclusive and diverse and is now set to host the very first “Accessible Futures Summit”.

The summit aims to highlight how far the industry has come in accommodating a wide variety of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent in media production careers.

Media Cymru and consortium partners University of South Wales are preparing to unveil brand new approaches to working with deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent behind the screen at a unique event taking place at the Royal Welsh College for Music and Drama on Tuesday 10 September 2024.

Interested attendees can find out more on the University of South Wales website.

With 1 in 4 of the Welsh population now identifying as disabled, and less than 8 per cent deaf, disabled and neurodivergent representation on and off screen, summit organisers say the summit will enable attendees from across the media sector to become more disability confident, gain a better understanding of how to hire, include, train and support DDN talent, and identify resources and funding to ensure more accessible productions.

Throughout the summit, screen industry professionals will come together to discuss accessibility, inclusion, and representation in all aspects of screen production, exploring best practice and hearing from a number of disabled creatives, who will share their knowledge and experience.

Disabled and partially deaf actress Andria Doherty will be sharing her experience as a keynote speaker at the summit alongside playwright, author and dramaturg Kate O’Reilly.

Kate said: “An Inclusive media which represents and reflects the diversity of our nation, celebrating the true breadth of talent – so often overlooked – makes better TV and film for everyone. Accessible Futures is a brilliant initiative where we can come together, learn from each other and move forwards boldly to a fairer and more equitable sector….”

University of South Wales’ Sally Lisk-Lewis discussed how the ambitious summit was devised. She said: “I was approached by writer Kaite O’Reilly, actress Andria Doherty and Sara Beer, Director for Change, Ramps, women with lived experience of working in the creative industries as disabled creatives.

“All three were frustrated by the lack of representation of disabled people on and off screen in our sector. As someone who has experienced significant hearing loss myself, what they had to say about the on-going challenges faced by the deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent community in Wales, really struck a chord.

“There’s already so much good work happening in Wales to diversify the on/off screen narrative in Wales which we intend to showcase at the summit. But there’s much more we can and should be doing to allow everyone to thrive in our sector.

“Inclusive design benefits us all, from those with caring responsibilities or temporary health conditions, to individuals experiencing painful grief or poor mental health.

“This event not only covers ‘how’ to be accessible but will also examine ‘why’ it creatively benefits productions to involve disabled storytellers, cast and crew.

“I’m incredibly proud of the programme our small team at USW has put in place – and the amazing speakers and masterclasses we have lined up for this inaugural summit. With Media Cymru’s vision for sustainable, fair and green economic growth, it’s a demonstration of what can be achieved when industry partners pull together…”