Access Media: A free webinar series on disability and representation in Irish media
Disabled Women Ireland, in partnership with the Disability Participation News Hub, is delighted to launch Access Media, a series of five free online webinars exploring the involvement and representation of disabled people across Irish media, funded by Coimisiún na Meán.
Media shapes how disability is understood and discussed in Irish society - for better and for worse. Across five sessions running from July to November 2026, Access Media will bring together disabled journalists, writers, broadcasters, producers and advocates to unpack the history and context behind disability representation, and to explore both the barriers and the opportunities for genuine, disabled-led storytelling.
We will be hosting 5 sessions in total:
Session 1: Language and Ethical Storytelling — Tuesday 21 July, 7–8:30pm
Language shapes how we see the world and each other. This session explores how language and framing around disability in the media can reinforce harmful stereotypes or become a tool for change, and what ethical storytelling looks like in practice - sharing stories honestly and compellingly without being reductive or patronising, or not respecting disabled people's privacy.
Speakers: Amy Hassett, Nicole Lonican, Nem Kearns, Gillian Kearns
Session 2: Accessing Production Spaces in Ireland as a Disabled Person — Tuesday 18 August, 7–8:30pm
The stories told in the media are shaped long before they reach an audience — in writers' rooms, production offices, and editorial meetings. This session looks at the practical realities of accessing production roles in Ireland as a disabled person, hearing from disabled writers, producers and crew about navigating these spaces.
Facilitated by Amy Hassett. Speakers: Naomi Kumar, Dorothy Laity, Ferdia MacAonghusa
Session 3: Disabled Representation in Irish Journalism — Tuesday 15 September, 7–8:30pm
What does it mean to be a disabled journalist in Ireland, and what difference does it make to the stories that get told? This session explores the relationship between lived experience and editorial practice, and what changes when disabled people are in the room not just as subjects, but as the ones asking the questions.
Facilitated by Louise Bruton. Speakers: Emma Ward, Christine O'Mahony, Dean Buckley, Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird
Session 4: Disabled Representation in Film, TV and Media — Tuesday 13 October, 7–8:30pm
From the characters we see on screen to the people making decisions behind it, this session explores what meaningful representation in film, TV and broadcast media actually looks like, and what it takes to move from tokenism to authentic representation.
Facilitator: Sinéad Burke, Speakers: Eleanor Walsh and others to be confirmed
Session 5: Misinformation and Disinformation in the Media – The Impact on Disabled People — Tuesday 10 November, 7–8:30pm
False and harmful narratives about disability aren't new, but the speed and scale at which they spread has changed. This session looks specifically at the impact of misinformation and disinformation on disabled people and specifically neurodivergent people, and what can be done by journalists, platforms and advocates to challenge it.
Speakers: Neuropride Ireland, Hope and Courage Collective.
Register for all five sessions:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/access-media-4855191
This series is funded by Coimisiún na Meán through the Media Skills and Development Programme.