Me, TV and Reframing Disability as a Positive Identity

I’m going to stick my neck out and say that it's an exciting time to be a disabled person. I have to caveat this with an acknowledgement of the huge and complicated battle that lies ahead when it comes to ending the health inequalities, social stigma and structural discrimination still experienced every day by disabled people all over the world.

But as a person who works in the UK media and who identifies as disabled, I am filled with optimism and belief that now is the time for big change - and we are seeing signs that it is happening. In the past two years, I’ve witnessed the industry do more to address accessibility, culture and representation of disabled people than in the past two decades combined. 

Channels, production companies and campaign groups are delivering coordinated activities that go beyond ‘targets’ and look at the reasons why disabled people are so poorly represented off-screen - and particularly in senior and decision-making roles. We’re also experiencing on-screen a multitude of disabled characters, identities and stories that were not present before.

I won’t go into the stats here - but if you’re keen to know how poor representation has been previously - have a read of Bournemouth University’s Disability By Design Report (2021) and CDN’s Doubling Disability Reports. Both chart the extent of the problem when it comes to poor and stereotypical representation, stigma, discrimination and multiple barriers to accessing, let alone progressing in the TV & Film industry.

So in brighter news, my current excitement for the disabled community is two-fold:

• Authentic representation on-screen is increasing - this means (in theory at least) that disabled creatives are more involved in storytelling, development and production processes. In turn this shapes society’s views and perceptions of disabled people.

• Disability as a positive identity is becoming more widely understood and supported. I make this comment based on the many conversations I’ve had with talent who are neurodiverse, or who have other ‘non-apparent’ disabilities. Slowly but steadily they are becoming more confident to disclose to employers that they have access and adaptation needs, rather than mask their disability.

This second point rings very true to me. My story starts as someone who has lived most of their life non-disabled. Even after receiving a diagnosis of a long-term health condition a few years back which ‘has a substantial adverse effect on day-to-day activities’, I must admit that I didn’t want to label myself as disabled - because I didn’t want people to see me differently. I was known for being a highly productive, highly ‘useful’ person in TV - would that change?

At that point, I didn’t know as much about disability as I do now, and I certainly didn’t understand how it could be a positive identity that would not only be a part of who I am, it would help me be much better at what I do professionally.

I wonder if one of the reasons I set up Gritty subconsciously was to create a working environment where I could manage my working hours, energy levels, workload and systems to support my needs better. I suspect it is no surprise that as the company has grown, we have attracted a high proportion of talent who have disabilities and/or long term health conditions.

We work flexi-hours, with a pre-agreed home/office split. We have chosen a modern and accessible building, and try to build in opportunities for team building, training and work/life balance as much as possible. I talk openly about my access and health needs with the team and encourage them to do the same.

Mabel my dog comes into the office sometimes - part therapy dog, part entertainment, part paper-shredder! I think the point that I am driving at here is that disability as a positive identity is now part of my everyday work. I run a fast-growing talent-tech company. I believe my disability and the things I have learnt on the journey mean I am better at what I do.

It isn’t without its challenges - we recently had to pull out of the opportunity to pitch for investment at a London event, because the timeline was too tight, and the travel too much in order to protect the good mental and physical health practices that are now my non-negotiables (we’ve given the organisers feedback about how they can be more accessible and inclusive, FYI).

It also means that we set our boundaries more tightly as a company. The ‘work all hours til it is done’ mantra that I lived out during my production career is no longer an option. I suspect that for many disabled people, it is these types of scenarios that often prevent them from going for that top production job.

Advocating for your needs, and negotiating your contract are tough things to do. For too long access and reasonable adaptations have been the exception rather than the norm. The sector needs to fully shift its attitude and practices to be positive and proactive - so that opportunities to work with and progress disabled talent are not lost.

The reality is that big step changes don’t just happen - they come via lots of messy, less than satisfying and imperfect trials and errors. But you have to try. Know better, do better, as Maya Angelou says. It’s one of the reasons that I am particularly thrilled to be working with a range of disabled talent at Gritty, who are helping us understand how we as a company and a sector can do better.

What does brilliant, authentic and true representation of disabled lives on TV look and sound like? What do I need to know to be an informed and friendly ally in the workplace? What do access and ‘reasonable adjustments’ mean day to day - how do I make these part of the fabric of my company, and not just a check-list?

Throughout this month, we’ll be exploring all these questions and more via #DisabilityUnfiltered. It’s a collection of films, blogs and stories from the disabled talent that we have been working with at Gritty for the past year. I hope that their stories and perspectives help all of us who work in TV & Film become better informed so that we can approach disability with positivity and flair, rather than fear and presumption.

Oh and one more amazing fact - accessible, inclusive and healthy work cultures aren’t just good for disabled people. They benefit everyone. If you take nothing else from this blog, please believe me when I say that understanding disability and reframing it as a positive attribute has benefitted my personal and professional life in so many ways. 

For more resources for your production, check out https://www.grittytalent.tv/disability