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Say Yes to Access

As part of our commitment to disability inclusion and representation both on and off the screen, we aim to ensure that all our programmes embrace the ethos of "Say Yes To Access!". We've outlined several key steps for commissioners to follow – this guidance will help achieve inclusivity and authenticity in our programming.

DISABILITY INCLUSION CHECKLIST 

We have a simple, 10 step checklist as a prompt for Commissioning Editors to help make sure you have all areas of disability inclusion covered in your production. 

It may seem quite a lot, but most of the points are about having a quick conversation and clocking the need to consider disability inclusion. 

For the avoidance of doubt, the answer to all of these questions from Com Eds should be YES!. And the Creative Equity team are always here to support, either the Com Ed or the production themselves.

For each commission, have you:

1. confirmed that there will be at least one on-screen disabled character, performer, or contributor? 

2. supported the production to ensure 10% of the team identify as disabled? 

3. found out who the production's Access Link is? And informed them that the Commissioning Access Lead for C4 is Nicole Steven?

4. discussed whether an Access Coordinator will be needed on this production?

5. explored whether Access Passports or Riders would be useful in the production paperwork?

6. recommended that the production produce a simple access statement for key offices and production spaces?

7. had a meaningful, mandatory conversation about any funding for necessary access costs and supported the production to complete an Access Funding Application?

8. established that there is senior editorial input if this is core* disability portrayal? (*please refer to the C4 Disability Code of Portrayal)

9. discussed whether an Editorial Advisor needs to be appointed? 

10. shared the C4 Disability Code of Portrayal with the senior editorial team?

If you'd like to print this checklist off and literally keep track of your progress, here it is in a a downloadable PDF:

Disability Inclusion Checklist PDF

FAQs

At Channel 4 we unashamedly ask quite a bit of our productions when it comes to disability inclusion.  But at the same time, we offer all the support we hope you will need.  So here are some key questions we often get asked, and our answers. 

If there's anything missing or any further questions you have please don't hesitate to contact our Commissioning Access Lead, Nicole Steven (NSteven@channel4.co.uk)

We are also proud members of the TV Access Project and strongly encourage our productions to follow their guidelines for disability inclusion in the UK television sector, known as The 5As , which are : ANTICIPATE, ASK, ASSESS, ADJUST, ADVOCATE

FAQs about access

We have numerous initiatives within the channel that support the goal of making your show more accessible. To begin conversations around accessibility we have our guides to hiring, including and progressing disabled talent. Our Access Link training equips senior production staff to serve as a central point of contact for disabled talent and contributors, providing ongoing support and pastoral care throughout the production process and beyond. We also have our Access Coordinators whose sole job is to manage access and adjustments for cast and crew. Additionally, for any general questions regarding access needs or adjustments, please refer back to Nicole Steven (NSteven@channel4.co.uk)

The simple answer to this is you ask everyone! This approach recognizes that access needs are not always immediately apparent, and individuals may not readily disclose their needs without prompting. By proactively seeking input from all team members, whether they identify as disabled or not, you create a safe and welcoming environment where individuals feel empowered to share their access requirements. This fosters a culture of trust and respect, reassuring talent that their needs will be honoured and accommodated.

If you would like a template for how to ask people about their access needs, please refer to our Access Rider template in our Disabled Contributors' Welfare Guidelines. This will work just as well for off-screen team members as it does for on-screen contributors

Within our disability inclusion page on 4Producers we provide information that can help facilitate conversations about accessibility. We offer guides for hiring, including and progressing disabled talent, contributor welfare guidelines, and if necessary, we can also recommend Access Coordinators to be brought onto the production

Yes! To ensure the full and equal inclusion of Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent talent, both behind and in front of the camera, we have adopted the simple guidelines produced by the TV Access Project, known as The 5As

The 5 As are Anticipate, Ask, Assess, Adjust, and Advocate. These guidelines can be adapted for each individual production. For more guidance on how to adopt these guidelines, you can click on the links given here.

FAQs about editorial

Within the Disability Code Of Portrayal, we have listed our 10 commitments to ensure authentic, nuanced, and original disability core portrayal. Creative Equity are also always here to sense-check any disability portrayal programming, as well as advise on whether the show may benefit from an Editorial Advisor.

Within our Disability Code of Portrayal we have stated....that every programme which has disability at its core must have senior off-screen disabled talent in an editorial role.  If this is not possible, an editorial advisor can be brought in. We say this because, however well intentioned, content created by non-disabled people often relies on assumptions and projections due to a lack of knowledge and experience. Our aim is to ensure authentic representation by capturing nuances that come from the combination of lived experience, editorial understanding and subject matter expertise.

To make sure we are representing a range of different lived experiences; the Disability Code of Portrayal requires each series to include at least one disabled person on screen. In the UK, around 20% of the population are disabled, each with unique experiences. While there may be commonalities, there's a wide range of experiences yet to be represented in our programming. With more disabled people on screen, we can showcase diverse conditions and impairments, capturing their nuances.

FAQs about funding

It’s not always the case that hiring disabled talent means there will need to be any extra costs involved. However, for any reasonable adjustments that do require funding this can be applied for via the 4ACCESS fund, regardless of the size of the production budget.

As a TV Access Project (TAP) member, we are committed to funding necessary access costs on productions not covered by Access to Work, over and above the production budget.  We do this via the 4Access Fund which is applied for via Access Funding Applications (AFAs). Your Production Finance Manager is key here, acting as the Access Funding Contact (AFC). They work with the Commissioning Editor to secure funding for necessary adjustments and handle Access Funding Applications (AFAs). Approved funds are set aside for accessibility costs and reported at the end of production. Additional funding can be requested if needed, and cash flow arrangements are tailored to each production.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on productions to anticipate the likely needs of Disabled workers and make reasonable adjustments.  Reasonable adjustments are considered workable solutions that are reasonable in the circumstances, to ensure that Disabled people feel comfortable and included, and are able to perform and contribute to their best. At Channel 4, we apply this principle to everyone involved in a production – cast, contributors, crew and creatives.