Inclusivity Films is an organisation that showcases diverse talent on and off the screen. It has a commitment to 50% of its cast and crew identifying as d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. We interviewed Sarah Leigh, writer, director and founder of Inclusivity Films, to learn more about her motivations for addressing EDI in the film and TV sector and what she believes the risks are of not doing so.
We also explore the Access Riders initiative, which is a form used for every Inclusivity Films production to identify and address access needs for all. Sarah shares more about why the riders are sent out to everybody, regardless of how they identify, in order to have a positive impact on wider society whilst also taking the onus off disabled talent.
How are your EDI motivations embedded in your wider company strategy?
It is everything I do. I identify as disabled and working class myself, so for me, it's also the way I live. I see life through an accessibility lens as soon as I step out the door because my son's disabled too. Access is everything to me so I've embedded it into everything, whether it be having meetings with people on Zoom or in-person to being on set, or, in postproduction, making sure everyone's access needs are met. A lot of what I do is around access consultancy and working with other companies as well to make sure that their sets are accessible.
What are your goals? What are you hoping to achieve?
In my lifetime, I'm hopeful that everyone will be thinking about access right from the beginning of their pre-production process, their onboarding staff, their IT access, etc. I feel that sometimes it's seen as an afterthought and I want it to be seamlessly embedded in everyone's practices—the way we do with people's allergy requirements or the way we had COVID supervisors on every single set during the pandemic. I would like to see access coordinators and access consultants involved in every single piece that's made.
We're doing a lot around sustainability in the industry, which is great, but I want to see more of a push on access as well. So, my long-term goals are to really push for that and help others to achieve that and show them the practical steps they can take to make their sets accessible. I want everyone to adopt them and start using them in their process because it really, really helps. When people start doing it on set, my hope is that they then start doing it in wider society as well. I also hope that when they step out into the world, if they see something that isn't equitable or is inaccessible, they can challenge that and be an ally.
What do you perceive as being the risks of not addressing EDI in your context?
The risk of not addressing EDI, particularly disabled talent, is that we are losing such a huge pool of talent. One in five people identify as disabled and there are so many people in the industry, who identify as d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent, that are just not getting the opportunities because their access needs are not being met.
We are risking not having that representation on and off-screen as well. I, myself, have never seen an autistic woman I could relate to and seeing an autistic woman on-screen is very rare. If we don't embed access in workplaces that are equitable for everybody, we're going to miss out on a huge audience and so much talent that is out there.
Can you tell us more about the Access Riders and the essential elements?
Our Access Rider covers a lot, but we also have an extra information box for anything we may have left out that may not have come up in the form. It covers things like physical access (e.g. step-free access, ramps, wider doorways). Also, are there going to be any quiet rooms we can use for people who may have auditory processing or sensory triggers? That's one of my own access needs, needing a quiet space. Will they need accessible transport or space for accessible parking?
We also ask if people need breaks at certain times whether that's a sensory break or if it's a break that's needed to take medication at a specific time. It's having the conversation with the person so we can identify if they need to take a break or if they can give us some kind of signal. I'm also an advocate for Changing Places toilets, which are more accessible toilets.
By sending this out and getting the information back, it allows us to plan very well and make sure people's access needs are met. Once we find this out, it can then inform our location scouting, scheduling, budgeting and everything.
When we send Access Riders out, we always let people know it's being shared with everyone regardless of how they identify. We always offer the option of having a phone call or a Zoom meeting to speak to people if they want to raise access needs but don't necessarily want it written down anywhere. It's just about being aware of how people want to communicate when they're on set and also in the conversations in pre-production information sharing.
Who does Access Riders target and what problem does the initiative address?
Access Riders address inaccessible sets and people's access needs so there are no barriers to them being employed. They are designed to make sure we can have everyone on board. They make sure everything is in place before we go to set and they make sure the budget is in place to support them as well.
I send Access Riders out for the productions I'm on and I send them out to everyone regardless of how they identify. They're primarily aimed at disabled talent who may have access needs but by sending them out to everyone, we're not making assumptions about who is d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent.
It means we can also pick up other needs that might not necessarily be about disability. We've had riders where English has been a second language, for example, and they needed to process information in a different way. We were then able to pass that on, with their permission, to their head of department. We've also had caring responsibilities come up and access needs around working hours; I'm a huge advocate for shorter working hours to support inclusivity.
What does the process of getting people to respond to the Access Riders and put solutions in place look like?
I co-founded a talent agency, Inclusive Talent, for actors and when it comes to putting them forward for work, I've not yet come across another production company that has shared one. However, some of our clients will have their own personal access riders, which, once they're cast, will then, be shared if our client wants it to be shared. Because we've had points where people have been recast because of their access needs, we're always very careful not to pass anything on until contracts are and signed.
We're very matter-of-fact about what our clients need. It's about telling companies what needs to be done rather than asking for it. That way, they can't really push against it and it opens the conversation around access generally. It's really trying to encourage people and showing them that it isn't a one-size-fits-all thing. It's a very individualised thing.
How do you reach and engage your target audience? Both the performers completing the Access Riders and the employers that need to act on them.
I'm sending it out to everybody who comes on board the production. Then for outside companies, I've done a lot of promotion on social media, been interviewed on panels, and written articles—just getting the word out and making people aware of how beneficial this is. Organisations like the TV Access Project (TAP) are also campaigning in this space and have all of the major broadcasters on board.
The Access Riders aren’t a mandatory thing because I wouldn't want anyone to feel that they have to fill it out but I want them to know they can. It’s also really important to me that they know the Access Rider is confidential. On the very front, it states that the Access Rider is private. It's only ever going to be shared with myself and probably another producer and an access coordinator but we share who it will be shared with in the email we send out. If it needs to be shared with a head of department, we always ask the permission of the person who has filled it out first.
Why do you think the Access Riders initiative is so essential?
It means I'm able to employ talent who may have many different needs. I know myself and other people that they're not going to give their best work going on sets where their needs aren't met. They might not even be able to get into the building and I just can't fathom that being a part of any work I do. So, it's about evening out the playing field for people and allowing everybody to be able to perform to their best without being hindered by a lack of access.
The feedback we've had is a lot about people feeling part of something they hadn't always done before. So, Access Riders is an open door and gives people the opportunity to be able to vocalise their needs. It also takes the onus off disabled talent because it can be nerve-racking to say you need something other people don't. It is opening and normalising conversations from the beginning so they know a place is going to work for them.
What advice or key learning would you share with other organisations considering using Access Riders?
It's something I've already emphasised but I really want people to realise that the Access Riders go out to everyone regardless of how they identify. Don't just assume someone's disabled because you don't know who is and who isn't. I also want everyone in the industry to realise how beneficial it is and how much it is going to help their production. We talk about things in society like dropped kerbs—they don't just help wheelchairs, they also help people who've got buggies or suitcases. It changes things for the better for everybody.
Download the Access Rider template to start using it to support your own EDI work or head to inclusivityfilms.co.uk to learn more about what the organisation is doing to improve access in its creative sector.
Image Credits: Hannah Fishwick Photography
