About Us

Ability Media is a unique initiative that gives disadvantaged and disabled people access to the skills and practical knowledge they need to express themselves through all forms of digital media.

Ability Media is an initiative by Leonard Cheshire Disability. We believe that by helping more disabled people get a career in mainstream media, they will increase the positive influence people with a disability have in deciding how their circumstances are portrayed.

Less than 1% of professionals working in media have a disability yet the national average for the UK population is 13%. It is our aim to change this inequality and ensure that those with exceptional talent are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Ability Media Centre in Southwark is the first of its kind and has been purpose built to provide students with accessible training in a number of media disciplines. These courses range from Radio Production, right through to Animation and Final Cut Pro. Numeracy and Literacy courses and NVQs in IT are also offered at the facility.

No other organisation provides as much varied support to as many people with the aim of addressing the imbalance within the media industry.

The long term vision is to develop the centre into a vibrant hub for film and radio production and all digital media, so that graduates of our programmes can continue to use the facilities as part of our ethos of helping disabled filmmakers to have a creative base for their talent. 

The Ability Media building

The Ability Media Centre is a fully accessible building with a low gradient ramp at the entrance, a guide dog station area and hearing loops throughout.  The building 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.