Action is underway to make it easier for those living with disability to fulfil their dreams of working in the stage and screen industry.

Hannah Diviney, Daniel Monks and Chloè Hayden are just three of the many people living with disability who have helped change the Australian arts screen and cultural sectors for the better.

Whether through their work in front of the camera, behind it, or in pre or post-production, the trio have worked hard to do their bit to build a more inclusive and accessible arts and screen sector.

Now Screen Australia, Creative Australia and the Office for the Arts have joined together to ensure that the one in five Australians living with disability have more opportunities to show off their talents on the small and large screen. 

The three organisations have joined forces to launch a new $8.1 million initiative named The Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program, which aims to create opportunities for skilled workers with disability in the screen and gaming industry, while also helping organisations increase their accessibility. 

What it means

The initiative stems from the Australian Government’s four-year roadmap, entitled Equity: the Arts and Disability Associated Plan (ADAP), released late last year, aimed at achieving greater equity for creatives and audiences with disability across the country.

The plan focuses on three key priority areas:

  • Recognising artists and arts workers with disability as central to Australia’s arts sector
  • Strengthening inclusive organisations and governments
  • Ensuring fair and equitable access to arts and culture for all audiences.

Some of the barriers to entry identified in the ADAP include discrimination or prejudice towards people with disability, negative or uninformed community attitudes and low expectations of the capability of arts works and audiences living with disability. 

A historical and ongoing under-representation of people living with disability in the arts and a scarcity of opportunities to engage in the arts for people living with disability in outer urban, regional and remote areas also contributed to the lack of diversity on Australian screens.

Why it’s important

Special Envoy for the Arts, Susan Templeman, says it is time that Australia’s arts, cultural, screen and digital sectors reflect the communities they serve. 
 “Creativity is innate to everybody and access to cultural life for people with disability must be non-negotiable. Equity of access is about the right to be creative as well as the freedom to enjoy cultural experiences.”

 “People with disability have an enormous contribution to make to the diversity, vitality and dynamism of our arts community and we cannot have a representative cultural sector without their full participation in it.”

What happens next

 In coming months an Implementation Advisory Group will be established to help shape the implementation of actions and commitments, contribute to monitoring and reporting activities, and co-design the Plan’s evaluation framework. 

 Those living with disability will be given an opportunity to ensure their thoughts are included via a paid advisory body made up of people with disability from diverse backgrounds from across Australia and with experience in the arts, screen, games and cultural sectors.

 Expressions of interest to appoint members to this group will be made available on the Office for the Arts’ website, and via Screen Australia’s social media channels.

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