The BBC’s Creative Diversity team is hosting a series of important conversations on LinkedIn Live on Thursday 19 November from 2pm – 6pm. Titled Reframing Disability and supported by The Valuable 500 and the Disabled Artists Networking Community (DANC), this festival of conversations has been timed to recognise the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act being passed in 1995 and to seamlessly sit with BBC’s inclusion month and disability season which is running throughout December.
The aim of the event is to equip attendees with the tools, information and expertise they need to return to their workplaces, communities and organisations and affect inclusive change. Guests will be given the opportunity to learn about successful models and how they might be replicated, enabling them to implement these practices in their own environments.
Reframing Disability boasts a line-up of stellar speakers with some of the most influential voices in the disabled community taking part, including: Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500; Judy Heumann, American disability rights activist and star of Crip Camp; Nikki Fox, BBC News’ Disability Correspondent; Cherylee Houston and Melissa Johns, founders of DANC; Katie Piper, actress, campaigner, presenter and model; Alex Brooker, TV presenter and comedian and Adam Pearson, journalist, actor and presenter. To name just a few.
Reframing Disability will also be a celebration of disabled talent within the creative industry and beyond. The event will feature inclusive thought leaders from the world of business, entertainment, philanthropy and media focused on disability representation as the route to ensuring that no one is left behind as we strive towards greater inclusion. The sessions are being produced by Reporter, Sean Dilley and Reporter and Senior Producer, Paul Carter from BBC News.
Each session will be headlined by leading disabled actors, writers, producers, presenters and directors to explore whether there are any lessons the media industry could learn from them including a ‘Spotlight’ session with Matt Fraser, the Curator of BBC America’s anthology series ‘CripTales’, in conversation with Alex Brooker.
There will also be a session on ‘Disability Rights’ moderated by Nikki Fox, BBC News’ Disability Correspondent with guests including Judy Heumann , US Disability Activist Star of Crip Camp, Ruth Madeley, Eddie Ndopu – Global Disability Rights Activist & UN Goodwill Ambassador, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Caroline Casey, Founder of Valuable500.
You can view the full agenda here
June Sarpong, BBC’s Director of Creative Diversity says: “I am proud of the ongoing work by the BBC to reframe the portrayal and representation of disability on and off screen, but there is still much more work to be done and it will continue to be a major focus for us. Our Reframing Disability event will provide a space for honest and open dialogue lead by those already changing our industry, and will directly inform the work we will be doing on and off-air from April 2021 as part of our Creative Diversity Commitment.”
Throughout November the BBC has broadcast a range of content to mark the anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. This has included packages BBC News bulletins from BBC Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox and a range of documentaries and arts pieces including security correspondent Frank Gardner exploring his and others’ experiences of suddenly becoming disabled for BBC Two; a series of powerful monologues curated by Mat Fraser with contributions from Liz Carr, Ruth Madeley and Jack Thorne for BBC Four; a new film also for BBC Four exploring the Disability Paradox around well-being levels among disabled people and how we can all enhance our quality of life; a radical reworking of Ben Johnson’s satire, Bartholomew Abominations and Connections, a series of monologues for BBC Radio 4, both featuring Graeae Theatre, a company which places D/deaf and disabled artists centre stage; and digital content showcasing some of the most exciting disabled influencers and voices online. See more here.
Join the conversation with Reframing Disability
The event will be broadcast on LinkedIn Live, the link is available via the BBC’s Creative Diversity website here.
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