BCIDN and ITC support inclusion of people with disabilities in programme making

The Broadcasting and Creative Industries Disability Network (BCIDN) and the Independent Television Commission (ITC) have joined forces to publish a guide for programme makers to include in their work.
Called "Make A Difference!", the guide provides practical and realistic advice on how to work with, and include, disabled people in the industry. It covers areas such as challenging stereotypes and creating training and employment opportunities for disabled people.
The ideas are based on suggestions made by senior producers and commissioning editors during a series of regional workshops run by the ITC and BCIDN over the past twelve months. The workshops encouraged participants to discuss how to increase the satisfaction of their disabled audiences and improve the way disabled people are portrayed and employed.
"What is especially groundbreaking about this guide is that the advice comes from programme makers to programme makers," said ITC Chief Executive, Patricia Hodgson. "Broadcasters have a responsibility to reflect our society in all its diversity, so this guide has relevance for all broadcasters, not just for those working on specialist disability output. We have sent copies to our licensees and encourage them to share the findings with programme-making colleagues and adopt some of the action points."
Jenny Stevens, Network manager, BCIDN said: "In the broadcasting world, senior editors and programme commissioners are critical gatekeepers to improving the representation of disabled people on-screen. Unless they encourage producers to make more effort to include disabled people as reporters, contributors, studio audiences, vox pop interviewees, presenters and so on, there is little chance of achieving change."
2003 is the European Year of People with Disabilities.
(GB)