Menu
What is Disability Justice Lens (DJL)? DJL bills itself as ‘the ultimate personal trainer’ who aims to equip you with the tools and resources you need to become the ultimate change-maker and ‘make sure you stay that way’.
Their goal is to promote disability equity and inclusion within the screen industry through a specially designed program. Which aims to help industry professionals understand and address ableism, ensuring that disabled screen workers are included and valued. The program is evidence-based and industry-specific (though we believe its lessons are universal) and developed by a diverse group of creatives with disabilities working in the sector. The topics covered are about, making stories authentic, improving access to productions and promoting mental health.
But if that explanation was a little dry for you, DJL has put together a more engaging and wittier explanation of the goals than this writer is currently capable of.
DJL is an initiative by A2K Media Co-founded by Ade Djajamihardja, a talented Producer, and his wife, Kate Stephens, in 2006. The company aims to create inclusive and accessible media content. In 2011, Ade experienced a near-fatal stroke, which left his motor skills severely impacted. As Ade recovered from the stroke, he found it difficult to reintegrate back into the screen industry, with many sites lacking physical accessibility for people like him. At the same time, other working environments lack the understanding of the rest-work balance and time requirements of someone with a disability.
In an interview with Independence Australia, Ade likened this period of his life to his school life as a child. Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, he would often be the only one in class of Asian ethnicity. Along with his earlier career being hampered by his age and race, Ade remarked that this new period of his life (self-titled “The Disability Chapter”) led him to comment, “I often had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. I feel like I have been breaking barriers and pioneering new territory all my life.”
The combination of all of the above resulted in the formation of Disability Justice Lens, which we might add was done with a smile and an infectious sense of humour. Despite the rather dower story above, Ade is quite the optimistic card that enters the room behind his sense of humour. For a good primer on the kind of Person Ade is, check out this video piece ABC Breakfast did on him.
Now that you have the background of the origins of this initiative let’s talk about the training they offer. The DJL Course outcomes are:
We believe the outcomes can apply to any industry and anyone’s personal life. Not everyone dreams of working in the screen industry; however, everyone does want to work in an environment that is accommodating to them. We at Inclusion Tree believe that everyone should strive to be equipped with the knowledge to create a welcoming environment.
Whether people with a disability work in an office, construction site, warehouse, or laboratory, each industry should and must do its best to be as accommodating as possible to all.
The training is estimated to take about 90 minutes, so it isn’t a huge time commitment. It is an eLearning experience, so participants can take the training at their own pace. The training also consists of very engaging and funny videos, so it’s a blast.
The training is also very affordable, as it is a “pay what you can” structure, where prospective students can nominate what they can afford for the training, starting as low as $1.
If the training sounds like something you would love to do, check it out and register today at:
https://screencareers.com.au/disability-justice-lens-contribution/
And for more info about Ade and DJL visit:
https://www.disabilityjusticelens.com.au/
and
We acknowledge the connections of First Nations People of Australia to the land, sea and community on which we live and work. As custodians of this sacred land we respect and acknowledge Elders, past, present and emerging.