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Broadcasting and Creative Industries Disability Network

Employing Disabled People in Programme-Making Roles

The Aim of This Guide

The aim of this guide is to provide you with some ideas and practical ways so that you can be more successful at finding and working with disabled people as colleagues, that is, as fellow programme-makers. We need to encourage many more disabled people into the industry, by offering them work placements and training opportunities, by including more disabled people on-screen to act as role models and by ensuring that the recruitment processes we use do not discriminate against people.

The guidelines set out here are only guidelines to give you some ideas on how to get started on employing disabled people. The more experience you have of meeting and working with disabled people the less worried you will be about hiring and working alongside them. It's unwise to generalise about disabled people (just as it's unwise to generalise about women, or people from ethnic backgrounds) because each disabled person has his or her own experience. You need to take an individual's disability into account when hiring and employing, but generally speaking, if you treat a disabled person like any other employee or contributor, you won't go far wrong.

What Stops You from Working with Disabled People?

Disabled people can and do work in our industry. They are as productive and as safe and reliable as any other employees. (In fact the evidence from a number of surveys of managers from a range of businesses showed that the attendance record and job performance of disabled people was at least the same, or better, than that of other employees.) However, there are plenty of good people out there who haven't had a chance to show their skills. Problem solving is the one of the main tasks of programme-making. Both producers and disabled people are used to making things happen despite any number of problems, so together, with a positive outlook, any challenge can be met. Surveys also consistently conclude that organisations that successfully employ disabled people are keen to employ more.

Why You Should Work More Often With Disabled People

There are good business reasons for you to hire disabled people. They are numerous (an average 15-20% of the population) and are increasingly significant as consumers. All kinds of businesses are beginning to recognise that they cannot afford to ignore the needs and interests of disabled people. What broadcaster, in an increasingly competitive climate, can afford to overlook such a large percentage of listeners and viewers? Just as women viewers and listeners are better catered for when women are employed as programme makers, commissioning editors and senior broadcasting managers, so are the needs and interests of disabled viewers and listeners when they themselves are reflected in the workforce.

There are also the legal considerations. When recruiting staff you should ensure that your employment procedures comply with disability discrimination legislation, and that you do not exclude or discriminate against disabled people.

Finally there can be no moral justification for excluding such a significant and substantial section of the population from access to work, and from portrayal on-screen and on-air. In this respect, disability is no different from gender or race. It should be possible for people with disabilities to be employed in every aspect and at every level of programme-making in the industry, and to be thoroughly integrated throughout the production process. Broadcasters such as the BBC now employ significant numbers of disabled people in a wide variety of production and non-production jobs.

Senior editors and programme commissioners are critical gatekeepers to improving the representation of disabled people on-screen. They are uniquely placed to encourage producers to make more effort to employ disabled people as reporters, presenters, crew and so on.

It is worth asking yourself whether you are denying yourself access to the full range of talent, ideas and experience available.

Recruiting Staff for Programme-Making Roles

Many jobs in the audio-visual industries, especially those in production, are filled through word of mouth. Unfortunately, this does not encourage equality of opportunity and fair employment. Clearly, if your company or the broadcaster for whom you are working becomes known as being disability-friendly it will help you to attract disabled applicants.

If you are serious about recruiting disabled people to work alongside non-disabled people there are a number of things you can do:

Don't just rely on word of mouth recruitment. Recognise the effects of the casualised marketplace and expand the methods you use to advertise vacancies. Rely more on advertising in mainstream media and make it clear that you encourage applications from people with disabilities. You might also consider using the specialist disability press.
Review your recruitment processes to ensure they do not discriminate against disabled applicants. There is specific guidance on this in this section.
Beware of e-recruitment processes, which may exclude disabled people if the websites used are inaccessible or badly designed.
Conduct research with your Human Resources Manager into why disabled people may not be applying for jobs, and consider how you might better target disabled people in your advertising.
Set recruitment targets (for example, to employ one disabled film maker by next year).
Promote through on-screen or on-air announcements and through your websites that you are actively seeking disabled applicants and they are welcome to apply.
Offer application forms in alternative formats. Make it possible for disabled people to apply for jobs by making reasonable adjustments. This is in any case a legal requirement but it is always safest to work to best practice regardless of the law.
Encourage all producers to consider disabled people for their production team, not just those making specialist disability programming. Ask other producers, including those with experience of working on disability output, for suggestions.
Identify organisations that might be able to help increase the supply of disabled applicants for jobs and send them details of all vacancies.
Get specialist advice on adapting your offices to be more accessible. This could benefit everyone.
Keep an eye out for talented disabled people in exactly the same way as you talent-spot for non-disabled people. Make a point of collecting names and details of such people and start a database.
Increase employment by nurturing a group of disabled people in the industry through training schemes, work experience placements and mentoring, so you have suitable candidates who could be considered.
Guarantee a job interview for all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Disabled people want to be employed on their merits and capablities. They don't want special treatment; they want fair and equal treatment.
Be prepared to make adjustments if needed for new recruits. This might be something quite small (such as a modification to a work station or flexibility about working hours) or it might be something more major (such as a new piece of IT software or IT equipment, or a support worker such as a sign language interpreter.) One of the best ways of knowing what adjustments might be needed (and many disabled employees need nothing at all), is simply to ASK the employee what will be needed to help them do their job successfully. (See also additional information in the section Adjustments and Aids.)
Make adjustments to retain existing employees who may become disabled. Retaining valued staff is far more effective than having to recruit and train new people.
Consult existing disabled employees regularly to see how you can improve your services to disabled people – whether as viewers and listeners, employees or contributors.
Raise awareness and knowledge of disability across your organization at every level.
Check progress each year and plan for the future.

Recruitment Advertising

You can word job adverts in ways that are more likely to attract disabled applicants. For example, you can specify that you welcome disabled applicants. You might indicate on the advert that further information about the job is available in various alternative formats (for example, in large print, on tape, etc.) and that you accept applications in alternative formats too.

Send a copy of your advertisement to known disabled people to alert them to the fact that you are recruiting. Disabled people will usually read job adverts in the regular press, but you might also consider placing an advert in specialist disability press if your country has it, and on web-based job notice boards.

The Job and Person Specification

Make sure when writing job adverts, job and person specifications that you do not needlessly exclude a disabled candidate. Concentrate on what has to be achieved in the job, rather than on how it is to be achieved. Be clear about those criteria that are essential, as opposed to merely desirable. Keep in mind that a disabled person may carry out a task differently, but with the same result.

Insisting on a driving licence may exclude a candidate with a visual impairment or arthritis who cannot drive. Replace with wording such as 'extensive travel to meet interviewees is essential.' The candidate should then be able to explain how they will meet this requirement by using alternative methods of transport.

Interviews

When conducting interviews:

Ask every applicant in advance if you need to make any adjustments for them, or if there is anything you can do which will make it easier for them to show their potential at the interview. By doing this you will signal to people with disabilities that you are positive about disability. It also means that you will give a disabled candidate a reasonable chance to demonstrate their abilities. For example, a candidate with a hearing impairment might need to lip read, and this needs to be accommodated when organizing the seating and lighting arrangements for the interview.
It is only appropriate to ask about an individual's disability in relation to how they will do the job, and the adjustments that they might need at an interview. Never ask how the person acquired their disability, for details of a diagnosis, or "what is wrong with you?"
Most disabled people have no need of any special arrangements; those who do require adjustments will be happy to let you know what will help.
Make sure you allow disabled applicants an equal chance to display their abilities, qualifications and relevant experience. Encourage the candidate to focus not on their disability but on how they would do the job. You could ask how the person will get a particular task done, for example, "This job requires a lot of travelling around the country. How would you manage this?"
You should not ask how the applicant became disabled or how they manage their life outside work.

Check List for Recruiting Disabled People

Be sure your recruitment advertising is accessible. Advertising in specialist disability media; ensure your website is accessible, offer alternative formats, make reasonable adjustments as necessary for the interview.
Be clear about what are the essential elements of the job. It is always good practice to draw up a job description (for any potential employee) and measure the applicant's skills and ability against these criteria. This way you can be sure you are objectively and accurately assessing the applicant's ability to do the job.
Access needs. Don't be afraid to discuss access requirements, or ask how a person's disability might affect their ability to do the job. "Do you have any access needs?" is a good lead in, but ask it after you've discussed their skills and experience and overall suitability for the job.
Breaking into the mainstream. Don't assume that a disabled filmmaker only wants to make programmes about disability – many are keen to work on a wide range of programmes. On the other hand, there are also many disabled filmmakers who want to bring their worlds and their experiences of disability to the screen.
Be quick to reject unsuitable candidates. If you can see that someone's qualifications and experience do not meet requirements, let them know quickly, and if at all possible, try to point them in another direction, or suggest where they need more training. This applies to all candidates, but long delays can sometimes feed suspicion amongst disabled people that it's their disability not their C.V. that's the problem.

Mat Fraser, Disabled Actor and Presenter (UK)

"The inclusion of a disabled person on the production team can hugely broaden the base of experience in the team. It might give the producer a previously unconsidered angle on a film or series. If the programme is specifically dealing with disability issues then the disabled team member is invaluable in terms of contacts within the community and in understanding the viewpoints of both contributors and audiences."

Put a line in the budget. Discuss employment of disabled people with your commissioning editor or manager at an early stage. Don't assume that making adjustments for disabled people inevitably costs a lot of money – many disabled people need minor, inexpensive adjustments or none at all. However it is unfortunately the case that many production offices and shooting locations are not fully accessible, and equipment is not generally designed with disabled people in mind. Be prepared for some adjustment costs. You may find it better to put a line in the budget than find a disabled person you really want to employ, and then have to scrabble about for extra funds.

The Employers Forum on Disability publishes briefing papers to employment, including A Practical Guide to Managing Recruitment.

Presenters

Very few disabled people currently front a programme that is not about disability. Yet the qualifications a disabled person needs to become a presenter are exactly the same as for any other person – a strong personality, a core of self-belief, and the ability to communicate well with participants and audiences.

The industry has made significant progress when it comes to putting women and people of ethnic minority backgrounds on screen. Yet employing a capable disabled person as a programme anchor or reporter would not just be innovative – it could do a great deal to change attitudes towards disability. It isn't that disabled people lack the talent, but more that producers have not given them the chance to demonstrate it. Don't get bogged down worrying about the disability – think about the entertainment value of the show.

Making Adjustments and Providing Support

In assessing whether a disabled candidate is the best person for a job, you need to bear in mind your obligations to make reasonable adjustments that might help overcome the effects of the disability. Most adjustments that an employer will need to make will cost very little or nothing at all. Many disabled people develop highly effective alternative strategies to compensate for their impairment and may readily provide their own solutions to difficulties they face in the workplace.

Adjustments in the workplace would naturally be made in consultation with your disabled employee. (The BBC has its own Access Team who assess each member of staff who has a disability in order to provide appropriate support, equipment etc.) Some examples of adjustments include:

Rearranging the furniture in your production office. This may mean making wider spaces between desks and making sure an individual's workspace is in a specific location.
Altering working hours to make it easier for a disabled person to travel outside rush hours.
Providing a text-phone for a deaf person and booking a sign language interpreter for particular meetings or occasions.
Installing voice recognition software and screen magnification on a computer for someone who is blind or partially-sighted, or providing notes on disk, email or audio-cassette.
Adding a ramp to a building for a wheelchair user. (This might be a permanent ramp or might be a hired-in temporary ramp for a person working on a short term contract.)
Adapting a vehicle or providing taxi transport to and from appointments.
The needs of a disabled person who has a personal support assistant or an assistance dog should also be considered.

Helen Smith, TV Reporter, UK

"I have been partially deaf since the age of six and can only hear in one ear. I worked as a camera operator and editor for two years and am now a producer/director. I discovered a new radio aid system that allows me to directly change the stereo digital sound into mono; not only that but I can also directly connect the hi/fi sound into my hearing aid."

Paying for adjustments

Many disabled people need no adjustments to be made, just the opportunity to prove they can do the job. Many adjustments cost little or nothing. The average cost of an adjustment is just 75 – 150 Euros. Some countries have government/ support to assist with payment. Adjustments for disabled people are likely to benefit others.

Training

As the percentage of disabled people working in the audio-visual industries is still fairly small, you might consider increasing the training opportunities for them in your organization.

Here are some ideas:

Set up a regular trainee scheme for disabled people.
Encourage expansion of training funds to fund disabled trainees in production.
Identify sources of matching funding for traineeships.
Contact any local or regional film or television commissions or agencies to explore ways of promoting training for disabled people.
Set up a production course for a mix of disabled and non-disabled people.
Consider different types of training and support such as mentoring, and networks.
Evaluate training and assess future opportunities for inclusion.
Establish work placement schemes specifically for disabled people.
Ensure that existing work placement and trainee schemes include disabled people.
Hold open day sessions for disabled young people from schools and colleges to increase their awareness of work experience and careers in the audio-visual industries.

Training for Access Information Technology

There are various software packages that enable disabled people to use computers. They are available via the Internet. I.T. trainers need to be aware that they will have to adapt their training methods to teach these specialist packages to disabled people. Reasonable adjustments need to be made to training where necessary to ensure that it accommodates the requirements of a disabled person, and can be delivered to an equivalent standard to that given to a non-disabled person. It should also accommodate the additional functionality of the enabling technology.

Three examples of software packages are:

Jaws Speech output for blind people
Zoomtext Screen magnification for people with low vision
Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice activated software for people who can't use the mouse or keyboard

Any supporting materials such as handouts will need to be supplied in a format that is accessible to the user. Perhaps large print, email or audio-tape.

Disabled people will not have the same peripheral support because members of their team are likely not to be using access technology. The training team may need to visit a site each time a new disabled person joins a department. Even though you probably wouldn't provide this to your non-disabled users, it is a reasonable adjustment under the law to accommodate the additional requirements of a disabled person.

Team Work

Although about 15-20% of the population is disabled, or is close to someone with a disability, there may be people in your production team who are unsure about how to relate to someone who is disabled. It will help if you encourage your team to be positive and not to dwell on any potential problems. They might find it helpful to talk over any concerns such as:

The language they might use or avoid when talking with a disabled person, and what it is OK to ask about as people get to know each other (see also the Section on Communicating with Disabled People)
Any fears and emotional issues which people often feel uncomfortable discussing
Appropriate behaviour – how and when to offer assistance
Any need to adjust schedules to take account of any possible extra time involved
Feeling "put upon" – you are all probably over-stretched and some members of the team may worry that they are going to be asked to do even more. However good team working means making adjustments for everyone, not just disabled people.

All the disabled people with successful media careers we talked to advised us that teams should not worry unduly. Once they meet your disabled recruit the chances are that their anxieties will soon disappear. Treat your recruit with the sort of respect and consideration anyone is entitled to. If you want advice on if and when to help them, and when not to, just ask them!

If you are working on a long-term project, you and your team may benefit from disability awareness training that deals honestly with how people respond to disability, and will help you develop a greater understanding of the issues.

Training non-disabled staff

Broadcasters can assist their employees to become more confident about working with disabled people by providing relevant training.

Provide disability awareness training for all staff involved in disability access services.
Provide training for all human resources staff involved in recruitment.
Provide training to commissioning editors and producers on disability portrayal.
Provide training to producers, editors and presenters in techniques to describe programme content.
Train all staff in disability awareness by using a distance-learning workbook with information on how to make reasonable adjustments, communication etc.
Provide a regular website accessibility training workshop to all staff working on websites.

Legal Issues

Discrimination

Discrimination means treating people less favourably because of their disability. Disabled people who believe that employers, or potential employers, have discriminated against them can usually bring a legal claim. If successful this can lead to an award of compensation for financial loss and injury to feelings. Adverse publicity may also result.

Health and Safety

One justification sometimes used for not employing a disabled person is concern over health and safety. There are few circumstances where health and safety problems represent an insuperable obstacle to employing someone with a disability.

Health and safety concerns should be addressed as part of the risk assessment process that is applied to all employees, and, in broadcasting, to all circumstances in which filming or recording takes place.

The key is to ensure that your assessment of a disabled person takes into account the feasibility of reasonable adjustments to reduce any potential health and safety risk, and to consider each individual and the specific circumstances in which he or she will be working. For example, a deaf technician might not be able to hear a fire alarm, but arrangements could be made for others in the team to alert this person if necessary.

Insurance

Insurance can be a complex area of any production. In most cases, insurance cover for disabled employees should be no more costly than for any other employees. Insurers ought not to charge more to cover disabled people simply because of the disability – there should be a proven increased risk, for example, of developing a medical condition related to the person's impairment. This includes travel insurance, for example, for a foreign shoot. For insurance purposes a disability is not an illness. However, higher premiums or exclusions may be made where there is a risk that an illness related to an impairment might arise. This can happen with non-disabled employees too, when there is a possibility of an illness recurring.

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