BFI FAN Short Course: Accessibility Across the Board

Do you want your organisation to appeal to a wider audience? Are you considering how you can make your space and marketing more inclusive? Do you have lots of ideas but no structured way to implement changes?

This new short course is focused on practical steps to create organisational change so that exhibitors can develop a more accessible and inclusive culture and environment for disabled audiences and staff.

This is a UK-wide opportunity open to BFI FAN members from all regional/national Film Hubs. Find your local film hub here.

The course will run across two online sessions delivered on Zoom (12 and 14 November) and one in-person event held at Midlands Art Centre (MAC) in Birmingham (11 February).

About the Course

24% of people living in the UK have a disability, so ensuring accessibility for audiences and an inclusive workplace is essential to a truly welcoming environment for disabled audiences and staff.

This course is designed to equip attendees with the tools to begin a journey of embedding inclusive practices across organisational operations. Attendees will leave the course with a draft Disability Action Plan, which will be tailored to their organisation’s scale and capacity.

Participants will also have the opportunity to form connections with other BFI FAN members who share the same goals for disability inclusion.

How is it taught?

Accessibility Across the Board will be taught by industry professionals through case studies, practical workshops and peer discussion. The course is led by Charlie Little, Access Consultant at Matchbox Cine.

The course will run across two online sessions delivered on Zoom and one in person event held at Midlands Art Centre (MAC) in Birmingham.

Session 1: Tuesday 12 November 2024

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom

Introduction to the key principles of organisational change
In this session, we will be looking at current disability inclusion practices across film exhibition, discussing the social model of disability and access needs for both audiences and film exhibition staff. This session features a case study by Lesley Gillan, Head of People and Culture at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, who will discuss their journey of creating and implementing their own plan.

Session 2: Thursday 14 November 2024

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom

Developing a Disability Action Plan
This session’s focus will be on Disability Action Plans. Templates and resources will be shared, and attendees will set goals before collaboratively creating a draft Disability Action Plan for their own organisation. Featuring a case study by Indigo Korres, Director of Scottish Queer International Film Festival.

Session 3: Tuesday 11 February 2025

10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In person at Mac in Birmingham (Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH)

Implementing disability inclusion and shared learnings
Participants will share their progress, learnings, and challenges with implementing disability-inclusive organisational change. David Baldwin, Producer for Cinema & Screen at MAC will present its Expanding the Frame project and their journey with embedding disability inclusion, alongside a case study from Birmingham Hippodrome. There will be break-out sessions where individual plans can be discussed, and learnings shared amongst course participants.

See the full schedule

Speakers

Charlie Little, Access Consultant, Matchbox Cine

Charlie Little (she/they) is Matchbox Cine’s in-house access consultant, working across the film exhibition sector on access and inclusion for Deaf and disabled audiences. They have lived experience of deafness and sight loss and are passionate about accessible cinema experiences for all. Charlie has programmed for festivals such as BFI’s Busting The Bias and has written extensively on disability representation. They advise an array of charities and exhibitors, such as Reclaim The Frame and Take One Action! Film Festivals, and they are Film Hub Scotland’s EDI Champion. They are also a member of the BFI’s Disability Screen Advisory Group.

Lesley Gillan, Head of People and Culture, Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Lesley Gillan is currently the Head of People & Culture at ACMI, Australia’s museum of screen culture. Fuelled in equal parts by optimism, pragmatism, and curiosity, Lesley has extensive experience designing innovative strategies and solutions that resolve complex people problems. Lesley has a particular interest in inclusion and diversity and in helping organisations realise the value of conducting their business with a social conscious. ACMI is Australia’s national museum of screen culture. Located in the heart of Melbourne, ACMI celebrates the wonder and power of the world’s most democratic artform – fostering the next generation of makers, players and watchers. Our unique calendar of exhibitions, programs and events explores how our lives are shaped through film, TV, videogames, art and emerging technologies.

Indigo Korres, Director, Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF)

Indigo Korres (she/her) is a trans and queer multi-media artist. She currently works as a freelancer Film Curator, Creative Producer and as the Director of Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF). She has also created and produces some of her own projects such as the podcast Changing the Frame, focusing on trans and/or non-binary people working on the film industries, and Yo Perreo Solx, a clubnight in Glasgow with Latin music for people of marginalised genders.

David Baldwin, Producer, Cinema & Screen, MAC Birmingham

David Baldwin has worked in the cinema exhibition industry since 2008, beginning at Birmingham’s Electric Cinema where he launched the Shock & Gore horror festival before becoming cinema programmer at the Midlands Arts Centre in 2018. Before that, he was a staff writer at Metro newspaper and a freelance radio journalist. He has made two short films, compiles the monthly Filmwire newsletter for Film Hub Midlands and is also founder of the annual Square Eyes TV festival.

Cost

The fee for attending Accessibility Across the Board is £50 for each delegate. This includes all the course materials you’ll need, as well as lunch, tea and coffee for the in-person training day.

Access

Within the registration form you will find questions on individual access requests which will be submitted to the team at the ICO. If you wish to discuss any access needs further, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

Live captioning will be available both in-person and online. For information on access for MAC please visit their website.

FAQs

How do I register to attend the course?

You can sign up for the course via this registration link. The deadline to register is Tuesday 5 November.

Applicants must work for an organisation that is a BFI Film Audience Network member. If you’re not yet a member, you can find your local film hub on the BFI website and apply for free to become one.
What is a Disability Action Plan?

A Disability Action Plan (DAP) is an organisational plan and strategy that outlines the actions that will be taken to consistently develop and improve accessibility and disability inclusion across operations, for both audiences and staff. The framework of a DAP is shaped by the social model of disability and affirms the organisation’s legal obligations and duties under current legislation.
Do I need to have started a Disability Action Plan to take part?

You do not need a Disability Action Plan to take part in this course. The programme is designed to provide you with all the tools you will need to create your own Disability Action Plan from scratch. It will also be beneficial for any organisation that is currently in the process of writing a plan.
What is included with the course fee?

The fee for attending Accessibility Across the Board is £50 for each delegate. This includes all the course materials you’ll need, as well as lunch, tea and coffee for the in-person training day.
How accessible is the course?

Live Captioning will be available both online and in-person. See MAC’s accessibility page for details for venue accessibility. Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements in your online registration form. If you have any other needs or queries about access not answered here, please email us at: [email protected].
Who should I contact if I have any further questions?

If you have any further questions about the course, then please get in touch with us via email at [email protected].

How to Apply

The course is made up of two online sessions via Zoom (12 and 14 November) and one in person event held at Midlands Art Centre (MAC) in Birmingham (11 February).

It costs £50 per delegate which includes all the course materials you’ll need, as well as lunch, tea and coffee for the in-person training day.

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