The nonprofit organization, Attitude Is Everything has partnered with the National Lottery Community Fund to spearhead "Beyond The Music." The program seeks to assist deaf and disabled people in gaining the necessary skills, experience, support, and contacts required to work or volunteer in the music industry.
This initiative begins with a survey in order to gather responses from the deaf and disabled communities who work in the music industry or are looking to do so. The three-year program will then begin.
Over that period, they are aiming to create:
- A Beyond The Music Network – a place for Deaf and disabled people working or seeking to work in the industry to meet, network, share ideas and find support around navigating the industry.
- Structured opportunities for Deaf and disabled people to develop their skills through training, mentoring, shadowing and skilled employment and volunteering opportunities.
- Accessible Creative Environments training – a new training course tailored to support companies within the industry to create a truly inclusive workplace culture.
- An Accessible Employment and Volunteering Toolkit
- A Future Leaders programme – a year long skills development programme designed to help talented Deaf and disabled people develop the skills to lead the industry in the future.
Additionally, the program will offer training resources and guidance for music businesses to better equip themselves for inclusivity within the working environment.
"Attitude is Everything believes it is crucial that deaf and disabled people have full and equal access to any employment opportunities on offer," says Paul Hawkins, the organization's Head of Volunteering and Skills Development. Hawkins' sentiment serves as a mission statement for Attitude Is Everything. "'Beyond The Music' will allow us to try and identify why deaf and disabled workers are so underrepresented in the sector, and to take positive action to implement change."
For more information on the program, visit Attitude Is Everything's official website.
