Advise productions on accessible audition requirements
Overview
This standard is about advising productions on how to provide an accessible audition process for those with declared accessibility requirements. You will advise the production on how to accommodate the access requirements of any actors or contributors. You will guide the casting team on how to make the audition process accessible, including but not limited to, venues and timings and encourage incidental casting.
This will also involve liaison with Agents/Representatives, Human Resources and/or Production teams to guide them on how to meet any access requirements that are identified.
This standard is for Access coordinators.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- identify the potential barriers to access for the audition process and audition venue
- work with the casting team to identify any access requirements for the actor or contributor
- assess the audition venue and location to identify any barriers to access
- advise the casting team on how to make the audition process accessible
- suggest amendments or alternatives to the audition venue or process as required
- support the team to respond to any known access requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- how to obtain the relevant production documentation and assess the audition process to identify potential barriers to access
- the importance of checking and confirming access requirements with potential cast and contributors
- the adaptations that can be made to the audition process and venue
- the access requirements of cast and contributors that need to be considered
- advise and guide heads of department and production to employ and support a diverse cast
Scope/range
Access requirements
- physical access
- environment
- lighting
- sound
- facilities
- transport
- physical contact
- personal space
- timeframes
- allergies and sensitivities
Resources - access equipment
- ramps
- adaptive furniture (evac chairs, off-roading chairs, standing desk)
- office equipment (different coloured paper, braille printer)
- software (text to speech, note taking software, time management software)
- adaptive hardware (specialised mouse and keyboard)
Resources - professional support
- personal assistants
- support workers
- creative enablers / collaborators
- sign language interpreters (British Sign Language (BSL), American Sign Language (ASL)
- lip speakers
- BSL monitors
- chaperones
- intimacy coordinators
- wellbeing facilitators
- medics
- assistance and support animals
Legislation/policies
- Equalities Act 2010 (England, Wales, Scotland)
- In Northern Ireland
- Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
- Ireland Sex Discrimination Order 1976
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Race Relations Order 1997
- Relevant industry access funding
- Government access funding (Personal Independence Payment, Access To Work)
- Reasonable adjustments
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Social model
The social model of disability is a way of viewing the world, developed by disabled people. The model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or condition. Barriers can be physical, like buildings not having accessible toilets. Or they can be caused by people’s attitudes to difference, like assuming disabled people can’t do certain things. The social model helps us recognise barriers that make life harder for disabled people. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice and control.”
(Definition provided by Scope UK)
Access Coordinators apply this way of thinking across creative sectors and apply it wider than the term disabled, it is also for people with short and/or long term health conditions, invisible conditions, people who might be pregnant or experiencing menopause and even those that don’t identify as having any condition but find certain tools helpful in their day to day lives.
Further to this way of thinking, we draw on our own experiences and appreciate the intersectionality in our industry and how that can impact someone’s experience with access.
Access barrier
An access barrier is simply an obstacle of any kind that stops a person from accessing a place or resource. These barriers can be physical, attitudinal or related to information and communication. Some examples might include: no step free access, lack of awareness, not having captions or subtitles available.