No Fairytale

No Fairytale aims to change attitudes and remove the stigma around people with disabilities. In spite of 1 in 6 Australians living with a disability, people with disability are either misrepresented or under-represented on screens and stage.
Thie ‘No Fairytale’ project aims to :
• challenge stereotypical tropes and representations of people with disability in cultural productions
• bust myths surrounding the ‘practicalities’ of including people with disability in the development and production of stage and screen works
• increase the participation of people with disability as practitioners in the creative industries.
The ‘No Fairytale’ project will lead to more authentic portrayals of people with disabilities, challenge stereotypes, reduce stigma, and promote inclusivity within the creative industries and the wider community.

By 2030, we want to see 18% of characters on screen and stage to be authentically portrayed characters with a disability, in line with the Australian population.
We want to see action to:
i) increase the rate of authentic representation of people with disability on screen and stage
ii) increase the number of people with disabilities working as creators in mainstream productions
iii) increase the creative industry talent pipeline for people with disabilities

Our vision is to ignite a cultural shift where the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of cultural life becomes the norm. Our film and accompanying campaign aims to dismantle entrenched stigmas towards including people with disability as creators, subjects and consumers in cultural projects. We want to shake up the attitudes of current and future decision makers working in the creative industries so that genuine inclusion becomes common practice.

The short-term outcomes of our documentary strive to see immediate attitude shifts among audiences and discussions exploring how we can make screen and stage productions accessible and inclusive.
As the campaign gathers momentum, we want the stigma surrounding people with disability in the creative industries further reduced as its demystified. We want to see attitude shifts reflected with concrete actions. Educational institutions and businesses, for example, commit and implement new policies promoting inclusion. We start to see increases in participation rates in mainstream cultural productions and events.
Longer term, we want to see increased participation of people with disability as creators and consumers. And ultimately see shifts in how screen and stage organizations operate, with accessibility becoming a core value instead an afterthought.

Zel has lived and professional experience of disability. Zel is currently on the Board of DADAA, a disability arts not for profit, Chair of Blind Citizens WA and director of Rights & Inclusion Australia. Zel runs her own consultancy, ‘Inclusive World’ where she provides training in areas like disability awareness, consultation on inclusive events and projects, HR coaching on disability employment, and conducts website tests for accessibility.
Over the past 30 years, Hannah has worked in theatre and factual television – from development, production, post-production through to distribution. She is a member of Australian and international film and television organizations and attends industry conferences. As a film studies graduate and a creative industries practitioner, she recognizes the power of representation to shape societal attitudes.

Our calls to action for audiences are to:
1. Engage decision makers nationwide to include people with disability in the creation of cultural productions.
2. Support disability inclusion initiatives and sustainable funding.
3. Advocate for the perspectives of creatives who live with a disability.
4. Push for accessible media, accessible venues, and encourage greater participation in cultural life.