Hft: Family Carers Support Service

The Family Carer Support Service is part of Hft, a national charity supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism. At FCSS, we support the carers of people with learning disabilities. This can include giving advice on how to navigate the benefits system, providing support when liaising with local authorities, supplying information about respite and holidays, or signposting to other useful … More

Watermill Theatre Social Story

A visual resource for children and adults with Autism Spectrum conditions and other learning disabilities. This resource is intended to prepare any visitors for a new experience and help them to become familiar with the surroundings and situation prior to their visit.

Social Stories for Autism-Friendly Screenings

An overview of Dimensions’ work with ODEON, Cineworld, Vue and Showcase to host autism friendly screenings at over 300 cinemas nationwide. Links to films screening on Sunday mornings for all audiences, in a sensory friendly and inclusive environment.  

Stats

  • There are over 11 million people with a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability.
  • The most commonly-reported impairments are those that affect mobility, lifting or carrying.[1]
  • There are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK. 8 per cent of children are disabled, 19 per cent of working age adults are disabled, 45 per cent of pension age adults are disabled.[2]
  • After housing costs, the proportion of working age disabled people living in poverty (28 per cent) is higher than the proportion of working age non-disabled people (18 per cent).[3]
  • Life costs you £570 more on average a month if you’re disabled.[4]
  • Over a quarter of disabled people say that they do not frequently have choice and control over their daily lives.[5]
  • Around a third of disabled people experience difficulties related to their impairment in accessing public, commercial and leisure goods and services.[6]
  • The spending power of families with at least one disabled person is estimated by the Government to be over £200 billion a year.[7]
  • Disabled audiences are over-represented amongst video buyers.[8]

[1] ONS Opinions Survey 2011
[2] Family Resources Survey 2016/17
[3] Households Below Average Income, 2015-16
[4] Scope: The disability price tag
[5] ONS Opinions Survey 2011
[6] ONS Opinions Survey 2010
[7] Department for Work and Pensions
[8] BFI Audiences Research and Statistics 2015

Organisations

Scope exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Disability Rights UK want a society where everyone can participate equally.

Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) provides consultancy, training, research and publications on building design and management to meet all user needs, including disabled and older people.

Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK’s leading charity supporting blind and partially sighted people.

Action on Hearing Loss supports and helps people experiencing hearing loss, so they can take back control and live the live they choose.

Contact supports families with the best possible guidance and information. They bring families together to support each other, and help families to campaign, volunteer and fundraise to improve life for themselves and others.

Disability Arts has an extensive database of cinema and arts organisations

Sensory Trust also has a useful list

Access to live music for disabled audiences: Glastonbury Festival & Band on the Wall

Whether you are running a specific programme to engage with LGBTQ+ audiences or simply hoping to grow LGBTQ+ representation in your existing screenings, it’s really important to remember some key things to make sure you are sensitively and appropriately programming, promoting, and welcoming audiences in your cinema.

  1. Work with LGBTQ+ people themselves, whether it’s working with community or national organisations or with people within your own organisation.
  2. Employ a more diverse workforce at all levels. Welcome diverse groups in your job applications and your mission statements.
  3. If you can, get training delivered to staff about how to engage sensitively with audiences, and for a better understanding of the experience of LGBTQ+ people.
  4. Consider that people have multiple identities so communication needs to work for LGBTQ+ people across your whole programme, and don’t presume that you will only have an LGBTQ+ turnout for your targeted programming.
  5. Get LGBTQ+ people to audit your venue to give feedback about how the space feels, about signage, and about the customer service experience.
  6. Make sure you take feedback on board and actually use it, and share your reasoning across the organisation.
  7. Consider the tone of your signage – can you be gender neutral?
  8. Think about lesser told stories – not just the obvious films… Are you including lesbian and trans stories? Think about the filmmakers and if they have credibility.
  9. Get LGBTQ+ people to programme and give insights into marketing and audience development. (Best practice with any consultancy is to pay people!)
  10. Revise your communications with LGBTQ+ insights – what kind of language do you use? Are you welcoming? Is there subtle prejudice in the way you communicate that needs to be considered?
  11. You’ll need to do more community and social marketing. Engage with charities and relevant LGBTQ+ organisations.
  12. Use gay bars and clubs/venues and LGBTQ+ centres for your print advertising. If there are Pride events in your calendar, go along…
  13. Consider your survey. Do you have all the necessary fields for gender and sexuality? It’s a lot better to ask people to self-identify rather than to designate fields around gender.
  14. Could you be gathering deeper, qualitative, useful feedback – can you make yourself available to audiences for interviews/conversations afterwards?
  15. Think about opening up a dialogue and your audience will recognise the efforts you are making, and champion you to their networks. Even social media polls can be useful.
  16. Make it known that you’re trying to improve and willing to listen and learn.

An Unashamed Claim to Visibility

Project overview A short film programme curated by Wotever DIY Film Festival presenting an exciting selection of performative work by functionally diverse filmmakers exploring the intersections of queerness and disability. All films are captioned for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences and are audio described for visually impaired audiences. The programme has been screened 3 … More