Tokenism and COP 26
I've been toying with the idea of whether or not to share this. Partly because I was embarrassed that basic accessibility is still not at the forefront of peoples minds, in this case the conglomerate that is Netflix. But also because I feel like I'm constantly complaining, what's little old me going to change when companies made up of thousands of people don't even think about these things. Can I really be bothered to fight every single time if they can't even be bothered to tackle accessibility too? So, a year and a bit on and I'm only just sharing this. Why? Well, I'm sure many of you know about the excruciatingly inadequate and inconsiderate access failure during COP26. If not, here's a recap. Israeli minister Karine Elharrar was denied access to the recent crucial climate summit due to a lack of wheelchair accessibility. I know, it's unthinkable and worrisome that in 2021 a minister would be denied access to an important meeting because they could not get inside the building. So yeah, that's why I feel like it's important to share my experience; of course this is one of many. But this is something that truly shocked me, to the point where I just didn't feel supported enough to carry on.
Before I begin, I want to highlight the fact that the staff on set were amazing, I truly believe they did their best to accommodate me and what I will go on to recount was out of their control. I would also like to factor in COVID, there was a different set up for extras that year, we all had to sit in a marquee at our designated table (imagine an exam hall).
In August last year I was approached, through an agency that represents disabled talent, to be an extra for a popular Netflix series that has been applauded for its "unapologetic diversity". Netflix proclaims to be a beacon for inclusion and diversity both in front of and behind the camera. So why did I feel like the token disabled girl? Why were they prepared to offer me the job as an extra yet weren't prepared to cater for someone with access requirements? Is disability inclusion just a checkbox that needs to be ticked?
As some may know, I rely on a walking stick to help me get around. During my time as an extra I was disheartened at the accessibility provided, the marquee was a challenge to access and was surrounded by uneven terrain. Yet the thing that upset me the most is that the portaloos were only accessible by a set of stairs with a handrail, there were multiple (not sure how may) none of which were accessible. When I asked about an accessible toilet I was told to let a member of staff know so that they could get a car to take me to the main building. This not only left me feeling demoralised and slightly embarrassed, I (again) was left feeling like an afterthought and a second class citizen.
Diversity should not be a checkbox. It is not enough to encourage and celebrate our differences without truly understanding how to remove any attitudinal and physical barriers in the way. This half hearted attempt at inclusion will only ever result in the tokenization of minorities. This emblematic attempt to represent the under represented is dehumanising and condescending.
* Tokenism - the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from under-represented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.
* Want to read more about the accessibility failure at COP26?
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