Why does the BCIDN matter?
There are approximately 10 million disabled people in the UK. They are users of broadcast, film and other media and as such represent a significant proportion of existing (and potential) audiences and employees.One in four people in the UK are either disabled themselves or close to someone who is. Their combined spending power has been estimated at £50 billion per annum.
Apart from their value as consumers of media, they are also interested in related broadcasting support services including promotional material, helplines, websites and books. They are now legally entitled to expect that their special needs to access these goods and services are catered for.
Research indicates that disabled people of all ages are significantly under-represented in the media workforce, either as part of the programme-making process or in other roles.
A census by Skillset in 2003 of 881 companies in the sector indicated that only 1.1% of people working in broadcasting are disabled. (This represents a slight increase from 0.8% in 2002.) A further survey by Skillset of 2,000 individuals working in the audio visual industries (both employees and freelancers) indicated that employers underestimate the number of disabled people since 3% of this workforce reported having a disability (Skillset Workforce Survey, 2003).
Even so the Disability Rights Commission estimate that 13% of disabled people of working age are in employment, so the broadcasting sector is well below the national average. (Compare this to race where the Skillset survey indicates that 7.4% of the industry workforce is of ethnic origin; this group comprises 11% of the UK's working age population).
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