Access Coordinators: Supporting Inclusive Productions
Venue: Screen Producers Ireland, 5 Westland Court, Cumberland Street South, Dublin 2 D02 V4A9
Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm (Lunch provided)
Registration: Please register here: Link to register. Registration will close on Friday 6th November at 5pm or when spaces reach capacity. Please note, a follow up email will be sent to confirm your place.
National Talent Academy for Film & TV Crew Academy South, in collaboration with Screen Producers Ireland, is delighted to invite producers, production managers, line producers and industry professionals to an information session exploring the role and value of the Access Coordinator within screen production.
We are excited to welcome Julie Fernandez and Sara Johnson who will share insights from their work championing accessibility and inclusion across the screen industries. With more than 70 years of combined experience in UK television, both on and off screen, Julie and Sara are passionately committed to finding practical solutions that support a more inclusive and representative industry.
About the Access Coordinator Role
Julie and Sara are leading experts in the training, support and advocacy of Access Coordinators. Following writer Jack Thorne's landmark MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2021, there was renewed focus on improving opportunities and working conditions for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) cast, crew and creatives.
In response, the Access Coordinator role was formalised as a dedicated production position designed to support DDN individuals and ensure reasonable adjustments can be effectively implemented throughout production.
Access Coordinators work closely with productions to identify barriers, facilitate solutions and help create environments where everyone can thrive and contribute fully to the roles they have been hired to do.
In 2022, Julie and Sara launched the first structured Access Coordinator training programme in the UK and their work has helped embed practical, commercially realistic approaches to accessibility while ensuring that productions can confidently support diverse talent both on and off screen.
International Impact
Since establishing the programme, Julie and Sara have supported the development of Access Coordinators internationally, delivering training and consultancy across Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and now Ireland. Most recently, through the vision and support of the National Talent Academies, they have been delivering specialist Access Coordinator training to a cohort of Irish participants, combining online learning with an in-person weekend in Limerick.
Why Attend?
This session will provide Irish producers with an opportunity to:
Industry Guidance and Best Practice
The role of the Access Coordinator is increasingly recognised as a key part of creating accessible and inclusive productions. The UK producers' trade body, PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television), provides comprehensive guidance on the purpose and responsibilities of the role through its TAP (The Accessibility Project) Toolkit.
As part of the discussion, we will explore current best practice and industry approaches, including the distinction that Access Coordinators are specialist advisory professionals whose role is to support productions in identifying and implementing appropriate adjustments.
Access Coordinators may advise on areas such as accessibility planning, Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), risk assessments and Access to Work applications, while responsibility for completing and managing these processes remains with the relevant production personnel and employers.
For those wishing to learn more in advance, the PACT guidance provides a useful overview of the role and its evolving place within production:
PACT Access Coordinators Toolkit
https://www.pact.co.uk/resource-hub/diversity-equity-inclusion/tap-toolkit/tap-access-coordinators.html
Who Should Attend?
Join us for a practical and informative conversation about the future of accessibility in the Irish screen sector and how Access Coordinators can help productions unlock the full potential of their cast, crew and creative teams.
How to register
Please register here: Link to register.
Registration will close on Friday 6th November at 5pm or when spaces reach capacity. Please note, a follow up email will be sent to confirm your place.
For technical difficulties with the online system please email crew.south@nationaltalentacademies.ie
Film & TV Crew Academy courses are open to all regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
Reasonable accommodations: We aim to accommodate all attendees to help ensure they can successfully participate in our programmes. Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications we can make to help those with disabilities participate fully in our training events.
National Talent Academy - Crew Academy South is managed by Film in Limerick and is an initiative of Screen Ireland.
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