Inclusion Ireland led a project in 2022 funded by the Irish Human Right and Equality Committee (IHREC). This project aimed to facilitate and promote a more inclusive and democratic media environment for people with disabilities to participate in.
Inclusion Ireland recruited a working group of people with an intellectual disability who were interested in advocating for themselves on a range of issues; such as housing, education, healthcare, justice and any others.
This working group received training on equality and human rights, and subsequent media training on how they can communicate their experiences in the media and advocate for themselves.
As part of this project a Code of Practice was drafted for journalists and broadcasters on interviewing people with intellectual disabilities, as well as a guide for people with intellectual disabilities themselves, to support them in navigating media interviewing. Videos showcasing examples of inclusive interviews were also made with working group members involved in the project.
During this project, we engaged with the BBC and their 50/50 project striving to improve the diversity of people on screen and engage with more people from minorities, including disability. We also got in touch with Media Trust as they previously developed materials on how to make media more inclusive.
You can access the Code of Practice for Journalists here.
You can access the Code of Practice for Self-Advocates here.
