Media & Disability
Guide on media & disability
Recruiting Staff for Programme-Making Roles
The Job and Person Specification
Make sure when writing job adverts, job and person specifications that you do not needlessly exclude a disabled candidate. Concentrate on what has to be achieved in the job, rather than on how it is to be achieved. Be clear about those criteria that are essential, as opposed to merely desirable. Keep in mind that a disabled person may carry out a task differently, but with the same result.
Insisting on a driving licence may exclude a candidate with a visual impairment or arthritis who cannot drive. Replace with wording such as ‘extensive travel to meet interviewees is essential.’ The candidate should then be able to explain how they will meet this requirement by using alternative methods of transport.
Interviews
When conducting interviews:
- Ask every applicant in advance if you need to make any adjustments for them, or if there is anything you can do which will make it easier for them to show their potential at the interview. By doing this you will signal to people with disabilities that you are positive about disability. It also means that you will give a disabled candidate a reasonable chance to demonstrate their abilities. For example, a candidate with a hearing impairment might need to lip read, and this needs to be accommodated when organizing the seating and lighting arrangements for the interview.
- It is only appropriate to ask about an individual’s disability in relation to how they will do the job, and the adjustments that they might need at an interview. Never ask how the person acquired their disability, for details of a diagnosis, or “what is wrong with you?”
- Most disabled people have no need of any special arrangements; those who do require adjustments will be happy to let you know what will help.
- Make sure you allow disabled applicants an equal chance to display their abilities, qualifications and relevant experience. Encourage the candidate to focus not on their disability but on how they would do the job. You could ask how the person will get a particular task done, for example, “This job requires a lot of travelling around the country. How would you manage this?”
- You should not ask how the applicant became disabled or how they manage their life outside work.
Check List for Recruiting Disabled People
- Be sure your recruitment advertising is accessible. Advertising in specialist disability media; ensure your website is accessible, offer alternative formats, make reasonable adjustments as necessary for the interview.
- Be clear about what are the essential elements of the job. It is always good practice to draw up a job description (for any potential employee) and measure the applicant’s skills and ability against these criteria. This way you can be sure you are objectively and accurately assessing the applicant’s ability to do the job.
- Access needs. Don’t be afraid to discuss access requirements, or ask how a person’s disability might affect their ability to do the job. “Do you have any access needs?” is a good lead in, but ask it after you’ve discussed their skills and experience and overall suitability for the job.
- Breaking into the mainstream. Don’t assume that a disabled filmmaker only wants to make programmes about disability – many are keen to work on a wide range of programmes. On the other hand, there are also many disabled filmmakers who want to bring their worlds and their experiences of disability to the screen.
- Be quick to reject unsuitable candidates. If you can see that someone’s qualifications and experience do not meet requirements, let them know quickly, and if at all possible, try to point them in another direction, or suggest where they need more training. This applies to all candidates, but long delays can sometimes feed suspicion amongst disabled people that it’s their disability not their C.V. that’s the problem.
- Put a line in the budget. Discuss employment of disabled people with your commissioning editor or manager at an early stage. Don’t assume that making adjustments for disabled people inevitably costs a lot of money – many disabled people need minor, inexpensive adjustments or none at all. However it is unfortunately the case that many production offices and shooting locations are not fully accessible, and equipment is not generally designed with disabled people in mind. Be prepared for some adjustment costs. You may find it better to put a line in the budget than find a disabled person you really want to employ, and then have to scrabble about for extra funds.
The Employers Forum on Disability publishes briefing papers to employment, including A Practical Guide to Managing Recruitment: