Events & Projects

Media Access and Participation Initiative (MAP)
Opening a world of opportunity

What is the MAP Initiative?

Innoversity™ is developing a “MAP” to make the film and television industry more accessible for people with disabilities. The MAP initiative (Media Access and Participation) will officially launch at the 2006 Innoversity Summit™.

Working closely with representatives of the media industry, and in support of Ontario’s new accessibility law, the AODA, the not-for-profit organization is developing a number of innovative educational tools and programs to help broadcasters and the independent production industry make the media more accessible to people with disabilities.

Research by the media, including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, has found that people with disabilities lag far behind other under-represented groups such as women and visible minorities, in employment, participation and portrayal on television.

Cynthia Reyes, co-founder of Innoversity™, says she hopes the MAP Initiative (MAP) will raise the awareness of the significant contribution people with disabilities can make to the media workplace as well as in programming. The MAP Initiative has its own steering committee and advisory group, comprised of a wide cross-section of representatives from the broadcast, film and television industries.

MAP’s project team includes Fireweed Media Productions Inc., a production company operated by people with disabilities; DiversiPro Inc., a diversity consulting firm; and the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario’s Ministry of Community and Social Services. Together, they are developing appropriate learning tools to help broadcasters and producers make the media more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities.

MAP is also developing educational resources related to the new Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for the film and television industry.

The AODA came into effect in June 1995 and requires the government to work with the disability community and the private and public sectors to develop accessibility standards that will be phased in over 20 years. Standards will be set in both the public and private sectors to address the full range of disabilities—including physical, sensory, mental health, developmental and learning.

Most people’s perception of people with disabilities, both positive and negative, is shaped by the media. As a major employer in Ontario, the film and television industry will be expected to comply with the new law.

Who is MAP for?

• The broadcast/production industry, including broadcasters, managers, broadcast executives, journalists, technical and support staff. MAP will be of service to large and small production businesses, organizations and associations that want to know how to make their facilities accessible, and how to attract people with disabilities as guests, employees or audience members. MAP will help production units to find solutions to questions related to accessibility and portrayal, and will also provide services to other communication-related organizations and businesses.
• Creative people with disabilities, including: established professionals, emerging professionals, and aspiring professionals who may still be in school. MAP will help people with disabilities get a clearer picture of the broadcast/production industries—how they work, what the possibilities are, how to participate.
• Educational Institutions, including post-secondary, secondary and elementary schools. Map will help to eliminate some of the attitudinal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating in the broadcast/production sector and will provide tools for educators to attract, and be inclusive of, creators with disabilities in media, creative, technical and theatre programs. MAP will also deliver and adapt skills development programs targeted towards creative people with disabilities, in parallel with formal educational programs.
• Employment agencies, including those which specialize in disability and those which specialize in media. The MAP Initiative will increase their awareness of the possibilities within the broadcast/production industries.

MAP is about:

Destinations (solutions), including:

• Best practices - for the industry
• Examples of accommodation - for the industry
• Jobs - for creators with disabilities

Routes, including:

• “How to” information - for the industry
• “How to” information - for people with disabilities
• Case Studies - for the industry/for people with disabilities
• Success stories - for the industry/for people with disabilities

Media “GPS” (Global Positioning System): tools to help evaluate where you are, and where you want to go.

• Accessibility assessments, audits - for the industry
• Portrayal assessments - for the industry
• Checklists - for the industry
• Workshops - for the industry/for people with disabilities

Traffic:

• Opportunities for multi-way dialogue between the broadcast/production industry, creators with disabilities, educational institutions and associations—at events and on the internet.

Building Bridges:

• A catalyst for various sectors to come together to find solutions.

“Off the Beaten Track”:

• Showcasing innovative ideas, both big and small. Sharing international best practices.