Crew | Access Coordinator Course

Access Coordinator Training Course

Duration: 8 Evenings online, 2 days in person in Limerick

Date: Online 8 modules - September 2026

In person 2 modules – November TBC

Cost: Free

Venue: Online by Zoom, In Person (Limerick)

Tutor(s): Julie Fernandez & Sara Johnson

The application process can be accessed via the link in the application description section at the bottom of this page. Applicants may request alternative submission formats, including video or voice note. For details on available accommodations and support, please contact rachael.power@nationaltalentacademies.ie.

The Access Coordinator Role

The Access Coordinator is a paid consultant who works with production teams to remove barriers to accessibility, helping individuals to disclose their access requirements, and production teams to accommodate them.

Working from Greenlight to Post Production, the Access Coordinator is the bridge between production, cast and crew. Working with cast, crew and creatives from runner to heads of department, they signpost guide, advise and oversee the removal of barriers and ensure that productions value hiring and support appropriately all deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent employee.

In Ireland, around 1 in 5 people (22%) are disabled, according to Census 2022, including people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Research also suggests that approximately 15–20% of the population is neurodivergent, with significant overlap between Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent communities.

We are committed to making this training accessible to everyone.

Course Objectives

This will be an immersive training course running in short modules, both online and in person. The course will take a barrier removal approach.  It will cover the basics of production, where access barriers may arise and how to advocate for and on behalf of deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent cast and crew, from Greenlight to Post, on set and off.

Course Modules

- Basics of Production workflow

- Background to the Access Coordinator role and the work going on in other countries.

- Development and production across scripted and unscripted, as well as film, events and theatre.

- Paperwork

- legalities and GDPR

- Advocating for themselves and others

- Negotiating rates and ideal length of contract

 - Peer group support.

There may be mentoring opportunites available for Access Coordinators placed on productions.

Applicant Requirements

This training is designed for individuals who are currently working in Film, TV and Entertainment. Applicants should be either deaf, disabled, and/or neurodivergent, with lived experience of or expertise in disability. 

Application Procedure:

Please apply via this LINK by Friday 10th July. There will also be an online interview for the shortlisting process.

For technical difficulties with the online system or if you wish to apply in another format, please email rachael.power@nationaltalentacademies.ie.

Selection on courses/programmes will be based on quality of application and industry experience relevant to the course and participant profile.  We do not accept CVs so please make sure you outline all relevant experience in the application form (please don't copy and paste CVs).

Film & TV Crew Academy South courses are open to all regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability.

Tutors:

Julie Fernandez is one of the UK’s leading Access Coordinators and a well-known disabled actor and activist with over 30 years in the entertainment industry. She has worked as an Access Coordinator on over 100 productions across all major broadcasters and streamers and genres, helping embed accessibility from development to delivery. Julie has also led disability awareness training for organisations including Buckingham Palace and Citi Bank, and co-developed the inaugural ScreenSkills Access Coordinator training.

Her screen credits include playing Brenda in The Office (UK), Holby City, and Casualty, memorably as teenager Nessa in long running soap Eldorado, alongside award-winning work in radio and TV on disability-led issues.

Sara Johnson is a seasoned TV Drama Executive with over 30 years’ experience across major companies including Sky, Fox, NBC, Sony, and Endor Productions. She founded Bridge06 in 2021 to bring her broad experience to supercharge the moves to improve accessibility in the entertainment industry. She went on to lead initiatives such as the first ScreenSkills Access Coordinator training.

Sara brings deep expertise in access and inclusion, having championed diverse projects like the BBC series The A Word and creating a children’s book series with disability at the heart of it. Her consultancy work spans training, representation, and strategy for streamers, broadcasters, and production companies. With lived and indirect lived experience (as a parent carer and daughter), Sara brings a grounded and practical perspective to accessibility in the screen industries.