About the Project
At the moment not enough disabled people are getting a fair chance to work in the media industry.
Less than 1% of professionals working in media have a disability yet the national average for the UK population is 13%.
This shameful inequality has got to change. That’s why Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) has changed the rules.
Ability Media is a unique initiative that gives disabled people access to the skills and practical knowledge they need to express themselves through all forms of modern digital media and to find work in the industry.
The Ability Media centre, based in the London Borough of Southwark, is purpose-built, state of the art and the only one of its kind in Britain.
It provides a range of courses suitable for everyone from complete novices to students with various levels of experience.
Here they can study for the formal qualifications needed for jobs such as Camera Operator, Vision Engineer, Motion Graphics Artist, Producer, Director, Researcher or General Studio Operator.
The centre also provides basic skills training, employment support, and work opportunities for graduates.
LCD believes that by helping more disabled people get a career in mainstream media, they will increase the positive influence people with a disability will have in deciding how disability is portrayed.
The Ability Media building
You enter the building by a low gradient ramp or by the steps at the front of the building. As you go through the automatic glass sliding doors, a reception desk is about 10 metres in front of you. The doors to the main events room are a few metres along and to the right. The security desk is immediately to your left and you pass that to get to the lift. Let’s take a look around the basement and work upwards from there.
Basement
This is where Ability Radio lives. Capable of 24 hour broadcasting, it’s the first radio station in Britain to use the Google automated system. This features a touch screen interface with widgets that can be customized for high visibility.
The system also has lots of advanced remote operation features.
The radio set-up comprises a studio, gallery, a green room with audio recording and a sound edit suite.
Also in the basement are two standard TV edit suites equipped to train up to 16 students in two groups of 8.
At the end of the corridor is a self-contained high definition suite with lounge area.
By the stairwell, there’s even a guide dog station to keep the dog watered and rested while the owner goes about their work. We can’t think of everything, but we try.
Ground Floor
The ground floor comprises the reception, events room, catering kitchen and the security desk. Two double doors open out to link the events room with the light, airy space of the reception area.
The Mezzanine level
The mezzanine level is an open area above reception where the Worksmart+ and the basic skills courses are based.
Here, people can drop by to improve their IT skills, look for suitable jobs or increase their career opportunities with the one-to-one support of an advisor.
First Floor
All the first floor space is used for Ability TV. As you come out of the lift, the toilets are off to the left. A few yards along to the right is the entrance to the spacious VIP area used for screening. Further along the walkway you’ll find a large studio and adjoining gallery. A few yards from the main gallery are a smaller training studio and gallery. All equipment is digital and to the latest broadcast specification.
Second Floor
The second floor is divided into two main areas. One side of the building is dedicated to classrooms for production training and administration offices. The other side has a large, airy, wood -paneled meeting room. A curved corridor leads to an impressive 50 seat cinema. This has plush seating, automatic curtains and a X x X metre screen to give viewings a real sense of drama and occasion.
Environmental features
The Ability Media Centre is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Europe.
Heating and hot water are supplied by solar panels on the roof supplemented by an energy system that uses waste wood pellets.
An intelligent Building Management System (BMS) automatically controls the ventilation and allows the building to “breathe,” saving power on air-conditioning and heating.
We plan to fit a wind turbine shortly to increase efficiency even further.
