Leah Rachel
Access Coordinators are there to support Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent (DDN) members of cast, crew, and production team. This also includes anyone facing access barriers who are waiting on/without an official diagnosis; individuals with a chronic illness; with long-term injuries; with severe allergies; or even those experiencing symptoms from pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause.
25% of the UK population (20% of the working age population) is disabled, and with 70-80% of those being invisible, it's almost impossible for there to be not be someone in your cast or crew who has a disability or long-term health condition.
When everybody involved in a production has the tools and support they deserve in order to flourish, then a final project will also be the best it can be.
As an access coordinator, Leah works one-to-one with the DDN cast and crew members during pre-production, to help them figure out their access requirements in the context of that particular production, and what support that could allow them to thrive. She then supports the production team in putting those in requirements in place, and how to maintain them. During the production-phase, she is then the person on the ground who handles sudden changes or unexpected access barriers (usually due to factors outside of anyone's control).
As an editorial consultant, Leah supports the creative team to integrate disability and access into the story seamlessly, authentically, and creatively. She is there to help you bring disability to life in your stories, and give you the confidence to put authentic disability representation on screen. This includes everything from sensitivity-reads and script assessments, to working directly with animation teams and art departments.
As an access consultant, Leah assists producers in putting together an access budget that anticipates what access costs they should plan for (including how to budget a line for an access coordinator) and helps explain the funding options available for the access budget. She can also explain funding for un-anticipated access costs, as well.
Leah is a fiercely passionate advocate for authentic disability representation and accessibility in TV, Film, and Theatre.
She has been a guest speaker on the TV Access Project's 'Disability in TV' panel hosted at UKTV; was a featured guest on two industry podcasts ('Killer Casting with Lisa Zambetti' and 'TV Makers Podcast'); was a guest speaker at Cultural Collective's 'Being Creative' panel; co-ran the seminar 'Why Access Coordinators Should Be Your New Favourite Asset' at an international film festival; and is the guest-speaker on two upcoming panels (one being another TV Access Project panel at the 2026 'Children's Media Conference'; and the other at the BFI's 2026 'We Crip Film Festival').
Leah is nominated for 'Role Model of the Year' in the 'Disability' category of the 2026 National Diversity Awards, for her work in disability and accessibility advocacy.
Insured with First Act Insurance | DBS Certificate holder | Emergency First Aid Trained
To enquire about hiring Leah for any of the above services, please contact her agents
Sara Johnson and Julie Fernandez with the Casarotto Ramsay Access Team at:
sara@casarotto.co.uk | julie@casarotto.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7287 4450