The Rise of the Access Coordinator: Why Inclusion Must Be Built Into the Production Process as Standard

Having spent 20 plus years in the industry, from building a career in creative production and operations to now co-owning a specialist talent and production agency, I’ve seen firsthand how disability inclusion in advertising can often start and stop at casting.

Featuring disabled talent in ads is a step forward but it’s not the whole journey. A consistently accessible production environment, one where disabled talent and crew can truly thrive, requires dedicated planning, implementation and oversight. That’s where access coordinators come in.

More typical in tv and film, access coordinators (ACs) are on the rise within the ad industry and rightly so. ACs play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between good intentions and actual accessibility. They take responsibility for access provision throughout all key stages of production, not just on shoot day. From briefing and prep to delivery and wrap, ACs ensure that inclusion is embedded in the process, not added on as a reaction.

So What Does an Access Coordinator Do?

At With Not For, the role is strategic and operational and can typically include:

● Ensuring all internal and external communications are accessible.

○ A tangible example here is that we receive many inclusive casting briefs, however the majority of them aren’t accessible and often haven’t been checked for basics such as colour contrast, clarity of fonts, plain language, alt text or logical reading order meaning they are inaccessible by design.

○ An AC will know how to adapt or recreate existing documents such as creative and casting briefs, PPM templates and call sheets to make them more accessible. Having supported agencies with this on recent projects, they have gone on to use the accessible template as standard best practice, upskilling production teams in the process.

● Liaising directly with talent and crew to ensure their individual access needs are understood and respected.

○ An AC is educated in inclusive language and has natural interaction skills to enquire about access needs in a respectful and appropriate manner. They know what to ask and how to ask it, putting disabled cast and crew at ease whilst ensuring they feel supported and included throughout the process.

○ ACs will often end up supporting agency and crew members with undisclosed or less apparent disabilities during a production too which builds trust and inclusion beyond a one-off project.

● Attending recces, castings, and wardrobe fittings to flag potential access barriers early.

○ Having an AC engaged during pre-production is crucial to ensure that the creative vision and execution plan is aligned with how confident and capable the talent will feel on shoot day. For example, someone with an energy-limiting condition may want to be called at a certain time of day to ensure they feel they can perform at maximum potential. A certain room may appear accessible to those on a recce but this isn’t always the case - an AC will ask the right questions, take photos and measurements so share and cross check with cast and crew with access needs to avoid costly issues on the day of filming. Wardrobe fittings are also important, both in where they will be held and whether or personal adaptations need to be made.

● Managing and implementing access provision at each key stage.

○ Beyond execution on set, ACs will also be supporting production teams in coordinating accessible transport, booking accommodation, equipment such as portable hoists, securing interpreters or assistive technology. An AC will have the experience in how best to approach this by individual, along with contacts of reliable vendors and suppliers to book as and when relevant.

● Ethics and compliance

○ Access is a legal right and a skilled AC will have knowledge of where productions aren’t meeting legal compliance from a provision perspective.

○ An AC will be able to sense the tone and environment of a project and will step in to advocate for talent if needed so that they can focus on their performance whilst feeling supported at all times.

○ ACs are not responsible for Health & Safety and risk assessments, however they will work closely with H&S to input relevant info, for example location specific personal evacuation plans (PEPs) based on access needs in the event of a fire.

Our ACs are disabled themselves, which brings an added element to the role of lived experience and a deep understanding of access requirements that builds trust and a natural rapport with disabled talent and crew.

Inclusion doesn’t need to be expensive but it does need to be planned. Accessibility must be budgeted into campaigns from the outset, just like locations, lighting, or wardrobe.

We are often asked by producers or agency contacts how to “justify” these costs. My answer: it’s part of the cost of doing responsible, professional business. Agencies are expected to comply with equality law. In addition, inclusive sets deliver measurable value in creative performance, talent retention, and audience response.

Accessibility can’t be a separate “add-on.” It should inform everything from set design to call sheets, catering to scheduling. A good AC doesn’t slow down production, they make it smoother, safer, and more effective for everyone.

Recognition and Industry Standards

Working with LBB to formally list 'access coordinator' as a credited role on your platform has been a real and important milestone. This small change has big implications that recognises the professional expertise ACs bring to production and allows ACs to be credited, building their careers and profiles within the industry.

I also love that it promotes industry-wide accountability, ideally prompting agencies and brands to reflect on any campaign they’ve created featuring disabled talent without engaging or crediting an AC.

My vision is a future where inclusive production is just production and where access isn’t exceptional, it’s expected. Where the presence of an Access Coordinator on every campaign becomes as standard as having a producer or a line manager, whether disabled talent feature or not.

You might think it feels a bit like unnecessary tick boxing to commit to ACs as standard when there isn’t disabled talent to support. But then I’d challenge your perception of the breadth of disability. This is a chance to acknowledge that disabled people already exist in your organisations and teams, and in those of your clients and partners too.

Whether you see a disability or not, whether people disclose or not, they are there. And what’s likely to get people to disclose their access needs?

Embracing the vital shift that reframes access and inclusion as a standard part of creative excellence, not a favour or an afterthought. That’s what.

Read more from With Not For here.