About filmpro with ten

filmpro is an organisation of digital artists, led by Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent practitioners, who themselves experience barriers to making our art.

We commissioned the project filmpro with ten, the first of its kind in the UK to explore the relationship between art and Disability justice. 

We looked into how creative skills can contribute towards a more accessible world. 

We wanted to know the tools that have are available to artists and organisers that can make our movements for justice more radical and expressive. 

Our goal with this research was to encourage artists and campaigners to work together to address the oppressive systems that disable us in multiple forms and evaluate the presence of ableism within both the arts and activism scenes. 

A better life is possible for everyone but no one can do it for us. We all have to be part of it, and we believe art can be a powerful way of making that a reality.

filmpro is in solidarity with all people with impairments, made Disabled by inaccessible systems and infrastructure. We recognise how everyone is impacted by ableism and that those within our community can be multiply oppressed. We are concerned with ending all systems of oppression, especially but not exclusively, those that most negatively affect people of the Global Majority, trans and incarcerated people. 

Project Structure

Our project took place over 18 months with 4 phases. 

We started by looking for contributors for the research stage of our project. 

Stage One – Research

We asked contributors to complete the short survey here with the potential to meet online or in person for a 1:1 interview with our researcher Blue (they/them). 

These contributions provided vital research on how to support disabled people in arts and social movements. We did not have funding at this time to compensate our contributors, however participants in this stage had the opportunity to be selected for later upskill labs. 

Stage Two – Development

For the second phase our team at filmpro used these contributions to the research to identify the gaps in accessibility in the world of campaigning. The feedback provided was used to develop a series of tailor-made, accessible training labs to support our participants work and learn new skills. 

Stage Three – Upskill Labs 

Stage three of the project was the delivery of a 6-week training programme, supporting 10 Disabled D/deaf or neurodivergent campaigners based in Lambeth or South London.

Led by disabled artists and practitioners of the disability arts sector, these sessions were developed directly from our research findings and from what the participants want to learn. 

The 12 upskill labs sessions which took place over the course of 6 weeks consisted of:

  • 3 sessions on organisational skills
  • 3 sessions creative skills such as videography, photography and audio
  • 6 sessions in between these sessions where participants were invited to reflect on the workshops, what they have learnt and to create art

Sessions were a half day long with regular breaks. 

By skilling up disabled campaigners, we wanted to reduce the limits of ableism on our participants’ work and capacity building by reducing their dependency on access specialists. 

We wanted to support tomorrow’s change-makers and equip them with tools and skills so they can keep moving forward in their cause independently, access more opportunities and garner deeper networks of solidarity.

We hoped that this new skill set will help with reducing burnout and increase the ability for disabled people to remain in justice campaigns and create art they love. 

At the end of this stage we held a public event, showcasing what they have created.

Stage Four – Mentorship 

The last phase of our project was a 6-month mentorship with monthly check-ins with our participants. We wanted to ensure our training was effective in providing long-term support that allows for interdependent growth and flourishing. 

We will also be creating a  PDF manual on inclusive campaigning. This will be online on our website and shared on our social media accounts.

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2 responses

  1. this organisation looks amazing, i wish i had known about it when i was in lambeth.

    I’m sharing your website to anyone i know who it may be relevant to 🙂

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