Because the arts community needs to be more inclusive: an interview with Gemma Harvey, disability and accessibility coordinator

In the entertainment industry , artists with disabilities often face unique challenges, such as inaccessible casting processes and a lack of authentic representation. However, the industry is well-intentioned and eager to make progress. In recent years, new roles have emerged, such as creative support, disability and accessibility coordinators, to address these challenges.

Gemma Harvey, as Disability and Accessibility Coordinator for disabled and autistic actors in film, television and theatre, plays a vital role in promoting equal opportunities. Her work helps create a more inclusive environment where all artists, regardless of their circumstances, can express their talent and contribute to cultural wealth.

We spoke with Gemma about her role, the importance of the creative arts as a tool for representation and diversity, and how this industry can better serve all artists.

What exactly does the role of creative support and accessibility coordinator for artists with disabilities involve?

The term “creative support” encompasses the different roles aimed at promoting accessibility* within the artistic industry, in order to allow each individual to evolve with ease .
Terminology has evolved in recent years and positions such as
“Accessibility coordinators” have emerged to ensure that a production, whether in theatre, television or film, is fully accessible to artists and creative teams, both in front of and behind the camera.

As an “Accessibility Coordinator/Creative Support”, my role involves working closely with an artist with a disability from the very beginning of a project. The goal is to build trust with the individual to understand their specific accessibility needs and then work together to develop a tailored process to support them throughout the project. My goal is to enable the artist to perform at their best and overcome the barriers related to their disability in order to express their talent at the same level as everyone else.

Over the years, I have gained a wealth of experience in this field, working with prestigious institutions such as The National Theatre, The Royal Court and The Kiln Theatre. However, it is my collaboration with Access All Areas that has truly enriched my career. From an innovative theatre company, Access All Areas has evolved into an influential production studio, sharing in-depth research into accessibility best practice. Their commitment to encouraging the industry to move in the right direction has been a constant source of inspiration for me.

Overall (understanding that each situation is unique), what is the current situation for disabled artists in the UK film and theatre industry?

The industry as a whole claims to want to move towards diversity and inclusion, but more often than not, it struggles to truly understand or acknowledge what it means. This isn’t necessarily due to bad intentions, but many organisations are rigidly managed, making it difficult to understand the need for positive change and be flexible in how they operate.

So it’s imperative that we bridge the gap between organisations saying they want to be more diverse and inclusive and actually making that change happen. It can’t be a simple checkbox on a form. As we all know, change is often hard. It’s not simple, and people at the most senior levels are often not keen to share information or consider changing the way they do things.

A big part of this problem also lies in budgets, as productions often claim that they cannot afford to support accessibility. This can create barriers and discrimination for people with disabilities, as casting a disabled actor or actress in a role can cost productions significantly more. However, what many productions and theatre companies don’t realise is that there is actually a lot of funding available to support these initiatives . So awareness and information about this funding also needs to be more available.

Casting is sometimes the least accessible part of the process. And this is no one's fault, but often productions will look for a character with a specific disability , and once they've cast that actor/actress, they write the role around him/her. On paper, this is a good idea, but the problem is that the initial scripts, which the actor/actress might read, were written without any consideration of his/her disability . This already creates a barrier for him/her to be the best actor/actress they can be and present their best self in a first audition.

So we need to go back upstream and make sure that there are opportunities for accessibility support right from the audition room, so that casting directors are asking themselves the right questions: What does this actor/actress need? How can we make this more accessible for them?

You yourself have been in the spotlight as an actress and dancer. Do you think that the creative arts provide a transformative platform to express our individualities and promote diversity within society?

In theory, I believe that theatre, film and television are important means of sharing stories and reflecting the diversity of society through their ability to be widely accessible or available . However, it is unfortunate that those who could benefit most from them do not necessarily attend them. Making these art forms accessible to all is essential, but there are many barriers to this.

Sometimes people watch a TV show or movie trailer and think it's not for them, when in reality it could deepen their understanding of topics they already think they've mastered.

This is a complex challenge to overcome. It is also crucial to develop strategies to reach not only the convinced, but also the right target audience with the right content.

Focusing on theatre, how can directing and storytelling techniques foster empathy and dialogue within society?

Each story presented on stage offers a unique perspective, allowing viewers to discover information they would not have otherwise found, and it also often allows them to exercise empathy by putting themselves in the characters' shoes and understanding different points of view.

However, theatre is sometimes stigmatized because of its cost, thus limiting access to certain social classes and restricting the diversity of stories told.

When it comes to role play, it is an effective tool to foster empathy when used by businesses. Creating a safe and inclusive environment is essential to encourage participation, as some people may lack confidence or experience in this area. For example, role play has been widely used in the medical field for years, demonstrating its continued evolution as an educational and therapeutic tool.

What would be the first steps to facilitate greater representation of artists with disabilities? Does it start with classes, casting, scripts, production or something else?

I strongly believe that the entertainment industry as a whole could improve the way information is shared. Whenever I start a new project, I often find myself having to explain the different roles in accessibility, as many people are unaware of them. Additionally, there is often a certain apprehension about change, which requires time to support and reassure existing teams, explaining to them that my goal is not to take their work, but rather to create effective collaboration.

Furthermore, if each department took full responsibility, we could move forward more quickly. Unfortunately, there are still many misunderstandings, a lack of awareness and knowledge, and a reluctance to ask questions about how we can implement better practices. Despite these challenges, things are moving in the right direction.

Regarding actors with disabilities, are they now taken more seriously by professionals and the general public than they were a few years ago?

Yes, I see a positive change with better representation whether it’s in television, film or theatre, but there is still a lot to do. I recently worked on a project where an actress with Down syndrome was cast in a role, without the production specifically looking for an actress with Down syndrome for the character. They simply held a casting call, and the actress with Down syndrome turned out to be the best person for the role.
We need to create more opportunities in this direction with more open processes so that everyone has more chances.
It is also essential that projects involving actors with disabilities serve as a springboard for learning and improving existing practices. The entertainment industry and mentalities are changing, but if these productions do not meet with the expected success, it will not be enough to say "oh, well, we tried". The industry must persist in its efforts to progress.

The public may not be aware of this, but many disabled or autistic actors are often asked to teach able-bodied actors how to play disabled or autistic characters, even if they themselves have not had the opportunity to audition for these roles. How do you explain this, and how can we break this vicious cycle?

Yes, it caused quite a stir a few years ago with a production at the National Theatre in London, and I believe there were other similar situations at the time. However, I am optimistic about the positive change that is happening in the industry. These institutions, production companies and theatres have learned from these incidents and have actively worked to improve, develop and prevent this from happening again.

A lot of this problem stems from ignorance. Even now, many people in the industry have very little knowledge about disabilities and will assume that the hours of work on a television set or a theatre stage will be too long for a disabled actor or actress, when that is not true for everyone. I have not seen an able-bodied actor or actress play a disabled person recently, and I sincerely hope we are past that point.

To conclude, do you think that the entertainment industry is afraid of change and of representing "too" faithfully the reality of today's society? Is there a noticeable difference in diversity on new media platforms such as social networks?

Social media has opened the door to information sharing and expression for all, which has not always been the case. Despite technological developments, it is important to remember that these platforms are not accessible to everyone - this remains a barrier to overcome for certain types of disabilities .

However, by sharing their stories and challenges on these platforms, people with disabilities can contribute to a better understanding of disability and greater acceptance of diversity.

*Accessibility refers to the design and implementation of environments, products, services or technologies so that they are usable by everyone, including people with different abilities or functional limitations. This includes people with physical, sensory, cognitive or other disabilities.

Link: www.gemmaharvey.uk