A ccessible Media Inc. (AMI) has launched an Accessible Writers’ Lab to help break down barriers for creatives with disabilities working in the Canadian screen sector.

The lab will be led by writer and consultant Ophira Calof (TallBoyz, Kids in the Hall). It was created in partnership with ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, and is sponsored by the Canada Media Fund (CMF).

It was designed by Calof to pair writers with disabilities with established showrunners and senior writers to collaborate on a more accessible TV writers’ room, both virtual and in-person, and break down barriers such as “communication modalities, sensory needs, structure, process and stigma.”

The lab will run from September to November and be held virtually, with the possibility of hybrid in-person meetings based on the geography of participants. It is expected to culminate in a case study report that will be made available to the Canadian screen industry. Approximately 0.3% of Writers Guild of Canada members identify as a person with a disability, according to the guild’s 2019 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion report.

Eligible applicants to the Accessible Writers’ Lab must identify as “Disabled, d/Deaf, chronically ill, neurodiverse, Mad or sick,” according to a news release, based on definitions under the Accessible Canada Act to be inclusive to visible and invisible disabilities. The deadline to apply is August and participation includes a $1,350 honorarium.

AMI launched the Disability Screen Office earlier this year with support from CMF and Telefilm Canada. The support includes the creation of programs such as the Accessible Writers’ Lab and the creation of a best practices guide on accessibility within Canada’s film and TV industry.

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