Lights! Camera! Access!

The Award-winning Lights! Camera! Access! (LCA) Career Exploration Online Academy is a six-month training program for creatives with disabilities who want to pursue careers in media (TV, film, documentary, theatre, radio, news, journalism, animation, music, dance, digital, interactive - including video games, blogs, vlogs and podcasts) - in front of and behind the camera/keyboard. LCA curriculum includes workshops, panels, career incubator activities (Disability Expressionist Café, LCA Studio Workshop and LCA Pitch Tank for aspiring media entrepreneurs with disabilities who are more advanced. Participants meet with the LCA Career Development Team for resume and cover letter review, pre-ETS soft skill development, peer mentoring, and are teamed with Flash Mentors who are working professionals with disabilities in focused areas of media. Plus paid apprenticeship opportunities for more advanced participants.

Media has the power to shatter myths about people with disabilities so we welcome more media professionals with disabilities reframing disability through the authentic lens of their lived experiences.

Applications are now open for the 2027 LCA cohort (January to June 2027). Visit the application: https://forms.gle/9a8uAtKhMjb9Eku28

If you want to learn more about LCA and determine if it is a good fit for your VR clients, sign up for a free, online orientation in September, October or November 2026. LCA Orientation sign up link: https://forms.gle/cQhVmeRuZkfn7JPa8

ADA Lead On - Episode 1: Origins & Milestones

Join us as for our free re-stream of ADA Lead On - Episode 1 "History and Milestones" on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET.

Tune in for ADA Lead On - Episode 2 “Documentaries” on Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET.

In celebration of ADA35/36, Disability Pride Month and the 40/41 Anniversary of the US Congressional Joint Resolution for "National Disability in Entertainment Week," ADA Lead On Productions, Lights! Camera! Access! (LCA) and Disability Unite join forces to spotlight creatives with disabilities who take back the narrative across media platforms.

All the ADA Lead On episodes are free to watch to raise disability awareness.

Welcome to Lights! Camera! Access! (LCA),

LCA was first launched as a Sector Summit by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Office (ODEP) and was hosted as a one-day Summit by the Diversity Committee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA20). Everyone was welcomed by DOL former Secretary Hilda Solis and Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez.

Since that LCA launch, and until COVID hit, LCA was convened in major media markets and hosted by:

Hollywood: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, CBS, and The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Justice and Innovation/Loyola Marymount

Check out the video to LCA at CBS/Television Academy Taking Action

Washington, DC: The White House and Gallaudet University

New York: BBDO Worldwide, NBC, and ReelAbilities Film Festival

Check out the video to LCA at BBDO in this TV Guide

Silicon Valley: Computer History Museum

Chicago: Chicago Mayor’s Office for Persons with Disabilities and Chicago Film Office; Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

San Diego: Options for All and San Diego State University’s Interwork Institute

Since the pandemic, LCA has pivoted to a six-month, online Career Exploration/Career Incubator Academy.

For questions, please email us at lights.camera.access2@gmail.com

In honor of ADA30, Tari Hartman Squire and Danny Woodburn created ADA Lead On Productions, to honor the legacy of the ADA and to create online variety shows featuring established and emerging talent with disabilities, many of whom are LCA alumni. Tari and Danny are considered pioneers in paving the intersection of disability and media and are featured in this Forbes article.

So far, ADA Lead On Productions has won the 2021 Audience Honors Shorty Award.

and the 2022 Gold Anthem Award in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

For more information, check out ADA Lead On Productions - https://leadonada.org/ or write to us at ADAleadonproductions@gmail.com

LCA was built on the success of the Media Access Office, the groundbreaking original liaison between the disability community and the entertainment industry.

Thanks for visiting our LCA website…..Lead On!