TV Access Project (TAP)

What is TAP?

Launched in August 2022 in response to the Underlying Health Condition campaign, TAP is an alliance of ten of the UK’s biggest broadcasters and streamers who have pledged to work together to create a substantive and permanent structural shift in the TV industry to ensure access provision for Disabled talent.

Its vision is to see full inclusion by 2030 – that is to say, a television industry where no Disabled talent is ever excluded because barriers have been removed and equity created.

At the heart this is ambitious co-creation between disabled people and the wider industry to deliver sustainable solutions with buy-in for and from everyone.

Workstreams

TAP is organised through six interconnected workstreams each comprising 8-12 members. The workstreams meet every three weeks and every six weeks they come together in a forum to discuss progress and shape future work. The workstreams focus on:

Industry best practice guidance - How to make the 5As effective through training, monitoring and evaluating.
Access to Work - How to make it fit for purpose and to support freelancers to make best use of it.
Funding - How to create a pan-industry approach to paying for any adjustments and access costs.
Access Roles 鈥� How to establish and standardise roles and responsibilities across all genres.
Talent Retention and Progression - How to prevent the continuous exit of Disabled talent from the industry and how to nurture Disabled talent into long-lasting leadership and decision-making roles.
Production Spaces - How to support Studios, Location Facilities, Post Production, Locations, and Outside Broadcast Units to make these spaces accessible so Disabled people can carry out their roles on an equitable basis.

Members and Partners

Members: Broadcasters and streamers who commit to the principles and protocols developed by TAP (including the 5As), contribute by providing senior leadership to participate in workstreams and provide funding for key work. Associate members contribute to workstreams, are strongly encouraged to commit to the principles and protocols and can provide funding if they wish.

Partners: Disabled-led disability interest groups and other not-for-profits as well as pan-industry organisations who also adopt the 5As and contribute by providing senior/experienced talent to participate in workstreams.

Guests: Workstreams may wish to invite guests with specific knowledge to some meetings. Guests are not part of the workstream and do not attend forums. NB They may have commercial interests, e.g. a disabled-led indie.

Stakeholders: Organisations who are not part of TAP but are important voices and supporters, e.g. BAFTA, RTS, BFI, Equity, BECTU, etc. They are kept updated on developments.

Current TAP members:

Britbox
Channel 4
Disney
ITV
Amazon Prime Video
Paramount
Sky
STV
UKTV
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Current TAP partners:

TAPStars Bursary

Drawing on Edinburgh TV Festival鈥檚 long-standing tradition of championing career development, TAPStars is a programme funded by the broadcasters and streamers who are members of the TV Access Project, to support disabled off-screen talent in the early phase of their career looking to take the next step.

Disabled representation in senior TV industry roles sits at an extremely low 4.7%. Our hope is the TAPStars programme will be part of an industry-wide shift towards addressing the underrepresentation of disabled talent, and move towards TAP鈥檚 goal of full inclusion by 2030.

Edinburgh鈥檚 own talent progression scheme 鈥極nes to Watch鈥� has supported some of television鈥檚 fledgling senior leaders and creatives. Our TAPStars will be selected by a panel made up of members and partners. They will receive a full delegate pass to the Edinburgh TV Festival, transport and accommodation, and an invaluable opportunity to build a peer network amongst their cohort.

Each TAPStar will also receive an introduction to a relevant indie, a 1-2-1 informal mentoring session from a senior leader at a TAP partner, broadcaster or streamer and the chance to debrief together about their Edinburgh experience and their next steps. 2023 will be the pilot of the TAPStar programme, and there will be a total of 6 places available.

This year鈥檚 selection process is now closed.