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It’s notoriously difficult to break into the journalism industry. For hounds with disabilities, there are even more barriers.
Originally introduced in 2014, Ability Today is a UK-based platform that publishes news, highlights investigations and creates pathways for journalists with disabilities.
“We’re looking to cover stories that communicate personal stories, personal triumphs, research, anything that’s applicable to a user with a disability to help them in their life,” said Grant Logan, founder of Ability Today.
I spoke with Logan about Ability Today and how accessibility and opportunities for journalists with disabilities are growing:
Logan, who suffers from a spinal cord injury he suffered in a car twist of fate 20 years ago, called his outlet “Disability Today. “It changed the name to Ability Today in 2019, believing it better reflected the platform’s philosophy of highlighting positive developments and advancements. in disability research and network advocacy.
“[At first] it was just me and my computer looking for data from around the world on other disabilities. If someone wrote an article about muscular dystrophy in Australia, it would show up in my inbox and I’d send it out to the community,” Logan said.
Ability Today’s flagship initiative today is its Academy for Disabled Journalists. The Academy was inspired by a program Ability Today ran in 2018 called Roving Reporters, which encouraged journalists to produce stories on any topic, for instance public transport accessibility and indoor skydiving. The Academy launched two years later, in 2020.
“Fast forward to now, I think we have just under a hundred students with disabilities who are reading recently or have gone through the Academy,” Logan said. Academy academics work for the BBC and ITV and have published articles in well-known publications such as Glamour UK and Metro.
Traditional offices and schools lack resources and hotels for students with disabilities. In fact, in one study, 27% of respondents said their office in the UK was not wheelchair accessible. With Ability Today, students access their courses online, with transcripts provided for virtual exams. tuition.
The Academy encourages scholars to seek out stories that interest them, in an industry where journalists with disabilities may be assigned to report exclusively on disability.
“Journalists with disabilities don’t need to be pigeonholed into the disability sector. Many of our journalists at the Academy don’t necessarily need to cover disability issues all the time. I shouldn’t say, ‘We have an article about disability, so ‘I’m going to give it to this disabled journalist,'” Logan said.
Skills taught in the Academy are meant to ensure journalists enter the industry with practical experience. The platform’s partnerships also mean that students are often connected with practicing journalists in well-regarded organizations.
“We are building partnerships with News UK, NewsQuest and other publications. In fact, CNN just had an open diversity and inclusion space that two of our scholars attended,” Logan said.
In January 2023, Ability Today developed another initiative for news lovers interested in search engine optimization (search engine optimization) to increase content visibility and site traffic. The Academy for Search Engine Optimization Specialists for the Disabled teaches academics skills such as content optimization and keyword research.
One positive consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been offices’ embrace of remote work and learning, noted Logan. This is particularly relevant for journalists with disabilities in the U.K., where many industry jobs are based in London.
Though primarily a local initiative, the Academy is open to journalists with disabilities based abroad. Increasingly in fact, international applicants are being accepted. Students and alumni include applicants from Kenya, the Philippines and Romania.
Although Logan believes that hounds with disabilities have increased job clients and media coverage, there is still a lack of hounds with disabilities in decision-making positions.
“We’ve only just really opened the door in the last few years, and we’re at the start of this journey,” he said. “We are starting to see more and more journalists and TV presenters, but there’s still a massive lack of talent behind the scenes, [including] newsrooms, and production companies.”
Ability Today plans to offer more courses in the long term and launch an accounting academy.
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Lara Reffat is a journalist and editor with a primary interest in social issues and the media industry.