Ask for what you need. It's part of the job.

• What goes in

  • Getting to set: parking, step-free route, pick-up point
  • On set: a chair at video village, a quiet spot at unit base
  • Communication: call sheet the night before, text not just walkie, captions, a BSL interpreter
  • Breaks, medication times, turnaround
  • Kit you bring or need
  • Getting out in an emergency

• What stays out

  • Your diagnosis. You don't have to name a condition.
  • Your medical history
  • Anything you'd rather not share

  Say what helps, not why.

• When to send it

  After the offer, with the deal memo

  Send it to your HoD and the production office. If there's an access coordinator, send it to them first. Update it for each job.

1. Check you qualify16 or over, in paid work or starting within 12 weeks, living and working in England, Scotland or Wales. Self-employed? Your turnover must be at least £6,500 a year.
2. Apply online or by phoneApply on GOV.UK, or call 0800 121 7479 (Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 121 7479). There's a BSL video relay service too. Freelancers need their UTR.
3. Apply earlyWaits are long. In October 2026 Graeae reported around 37 weeks for employed people and around 67 weeks for the self-employed. Apply before the job you need it for.
4. Keep your rider and award togetherSend both to the production office so they know who pays for what.

• It can pay for

  • A support worker: BSL interpreter, job coach, note-taker
  • Taxis to work if you can't use public transport
  • Specialist equipment and software
  • Mental health support at work

• It won't pay for

  Reasonable adjustments the employer must make by law. Those are the production's job.

• Northern Ireland

  There's a separate scheme. Access to Work on nidirect

• Unit base and set

  • Parking near set
  • A step-free route and an accessible loo
  • A chair at video village

• Communication

  • Call sheet and movement order the night before
  • Calls by text as well as walkie
  • Captions on playback
  • Face the person when you give a note

• Time

  • Fixed breaks
  • A later call or earlier wrap
  • Time off for appointments

• Short bookings

  Day-rate jobs move fast

  There's little time to set things up. Send your rider early, and ask the production office who sorts access on this job.

• Is there one on this job?

  Ask the production office. If there is, talk to them before your first day.

• No coordinator?

  Access usually sits with the production manager or line producer. Send your rider to them and your HoD.

• Want to do the job?

  TripleC and ScreenSkills have run access coordinator training. TripleC

• • The call sheet the night before, and changes in writing
  • One person to go to, and a clear handover each morning
  • Lists or photos for the kit you prep
  • Tell your HoD how you take a note best: shown, written or said
• • Know where the quiet spot is at unit base
  • Ear defenders between takes, but never when you need to hear safety calls
  • A heads-up before a big change of set-up or location

1. Get the offer firstYou don't have to mention a disability when you're pencilled or interviewed.
2. Lead with the job"To do this well, I need…" puts the focus on the work.
3. Keep it specific"Could the call sheet come by email the night before?" is easy to say yes to.
4. Put it in writingReply to the deal memo email with your rider attached.
5. If it goes wrongTalk to your HoD, then the production manager. Then get advice: the Film and TV Charity's Bullying Advice Service covers discrimination, including adjustments not made. Bectu and Acas can help too.

Say it simply: "I'm Deaf, so I'm on text, not the walkie. Can someone ping me the calls?"

• • Ask everyone the same question at booking: "Anything we should plan for?"
  • Budget for access in prep, and allow for Access to Work waits
  • Name one contact for access on the job
• • Keep riders private. Share only with people who need them.
  • Put personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) in the risk assessment
  • Plan a quiet space and an accessible loo at unit base

• 24 hours, free

  Film and TV Charity: 0800 054 0000

  Work and Wellbeing advisers can help with Access to Work and PIP forms. There's a "Working Well With Me" template too.

  Disability support ↗

• Network and funding

  TripleC

  Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people in media. Its Access Funding Scheme for high-end TV crew paid £100 to £1,000 for access costs; the 2026 round closed on 16 January 2026. Watch for the next.

  triplec.org.uk ↗

• Easy read

  This guide in plain words

  Short sentences, large print.

  Easy read (PDF)

• GOV.UK: Access to Work
• GOV.UK: Access to Work eligibility (self-employed turnover £6,500)
• GOV.UK: Apply for Access to Work
• nidirect: Access to Work (Northern Ireland)
• Acas: reasonable adjustments
• Film and TV Charity: disability support
• TripleC: Access Funding Scheme
• ScreenSkills: Access Funding Scheme for HETV Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent crew 2026
• Graeae: Access to Work 2026 (waiting times)
• ScreenSkills: HETV research, 19 Mar 2026 (new roles growing, including access coordinators)