Top UK Drama Execs Called Out! Hire Disabled Access Coordinators, No More Excuses!

BREAKING NEWS: The sole agency in the UK featuring a disabled-led access team is actively reaching out to production leaders across all independent TV dramas to promote the hiring of access coordinators.

The Office actress Julie Fernandez along with Sara Johnson have served for over two years at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, representing prominent figures like Steve McQueen and Stephen Frears. They’ve recently expressed their concerns about the low engagement of access coordinators within the industry.

Fernandez and Johnson work to train access coordinators who assist with accessibility for disabled crew and actors during TV production, supporting a community that accounts for around 20% of the UK’s population. Despite their efforts and those of others in the industry, they note that less than 20% of TV productions involve access coordinators.

They are now distributing a one-page information sheet to all production heads in the prestigious UK TV drama sector, as well as to broadcasters.

This information sheet starts with a headline stating, “Disabled freelancers are facing a crisis, and we need your support.” It highlights, “A decline in programming commissions is setting in. Access coordinators are essential and need more productions to employ them. Despite significant efforts, disability inclusion goals remain unachieved.”

The sheet details that hiring an access coordinator for three days costs about £1,500 ($2,032), which is only about 0.3% of a typical show’s budget.

Johnson, formerly a commissioner at Fox, conveyed to Deadline, “There’s a dystopian reality affecting disabled freelancers and the broader disabled community, all impacting our sector. The current decline in commissions and reduced budgets are often excuses used to avoid hiring access coordinators. Even before these financial strains, the adoption across different genres has been painfully slow.”

Johnson advocates for including access coordinators on every crew list to support disabled individuals both behind and in front of the camera. She notes that most individuals they assist are either neurodivergent or have invisible disabilities.

Together, Johnson and Fernandez have collaborated with 24 access coordinators. Fernandez, known for her role as Brenda in the original UK Office, is also an access coordinator herself. Their team’s credentials include work on Disney+ series Shardlake, BBC’s Silent Witness and the forthcoming The Rapture starring Ruth Madeley. They were featured when we highlighted agents leading the charge for the future of disabled talent in early 2024.

Studies on diversity have shown a significant underrepresentation of disabled individuals in the UK TV industry, with only slow and minor improvements. Adolescence co-creator Thorne and others lead the TV Access Project, advocating for better accessibility for disabled talent.