BBC launches hunt for new Disability Executive
The BBC has today launched the recruitment for its new pan-BBC Disability Executive. This new post will have responsibility for supporting improved programming; commissioning and portrayal of disabled people across the BBC.
Published: 26 February 2015
There is a lot of great work already going on around the BBC, but having one person responsible for really pushing this agenda and bringing ideas to life will help us have a bigger impact.
The role will have responsibility for championing disabled talent and disability-related production projects as well as helping the BBC achieve its targets of quadrupling disabled representation on screen by 2017.
The executive will work with senior management teams, commissioners, production teams and the BBC’s divisions to encourage the authentic and realistic portrayal of disability and disabled talent in all the BBC’s content, including supporting the mainstream inclusion of disabled actors, presenters, reporters, contributors and experts.
Joe Godwin, Director of the BBC Academy, says: “The BBC is looking for a talented and collaborative person to work across our TV, radio and online content, to help us improve the portrayal of disability in all our programming. There is a lot of great work already going on around the BBC, but having one person responsible for really pushing this agenda and bringing ideas to life will help us have a bigger impact.”
Last year, the BBC announced a raft of measures to improve the representation of disabled people on- and off-screen. In addition to the appointment of the new executive, the BBC agreed to build on the award-winning Extend programme, which helps disabled people to work in production, so that more of the scheme's graduates remained at the Corporation. The successful Elev8 scheme for more junior staff was also continued.
The BBC is also working with organisations like the Shaw Trust, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB), Working Links and Remploy, to employ up to 150 ‘non-media’ disabled people in roles that support the business.
The job decscription and application process can be found on BBC Careers: careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/BBC-Disability-Executive/11210. The closing date is 15 March.
Notes to Editors
Disabled people are represented through Baroness Tanni Grey-Thomson and former BBC Executive Tanya Motie in the small group of respected BAME and disabled experts and cultural leaders who form the Independent Diversity Advisory Group, chaired by the Director-General. Their role is to challenge and advise Tony Hall and the BBC’s senior leaders on diversity, and to judge results.
In addition to the on-air target for representation, the BBC also has the following targets for staff profile:
- Disabled - all staff target for 2017 is 5.3 per cent.
- Disabled Leadership target for 2017 is 5 per cent.
Details of the BBC’s commitments to improve disability on and off screen can be found here bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/representation-disabled-people
BBC Press Office
