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Pictured: On International Day of Disability, 3 December 2023, Jason Bodle (centre) receives a certificate for being part of RTRFM’s Disability Inclusion and Advisory Group from WA Minister for Disability Services Don Punch (at right). At left is RTR General Manager Simon Miraudo.
Talking about disability inclusion is one thing – creating it is another. Community radio RTRFM in Perth has taken action to ensure its broadcasting is truly inclusive.
Its project Breaking Sound Barriers delivers courses on broadcasting – and specifically training in podcasting skills – to people with disabilities.
Says Simon Miraudo, RTR General Manager: “Though RTR has been here for over forty years, we don’t have the most accessible building and haven’t had the most accessible programs for decades.
“Our Disability Advisory Group advised us in 2020-21 to put together a course to bring some of our community access and desire to give open access to the disability community.”
The result was Breaking Sound Barriers – initially established with the support of Carers WA, and more recently supported by EnableWA and YDAN, the Youth Disability Advocacy Network.
Simon sees the project as “a wonderful initiative allowing us to engage with people who previously didn’t interact with the station, or maybe we didn’t have content that they felt spoke to them outside of our music broadcasting.”
Breaking Sound Barriers, he says, “has allowed them to learn how to use the tools of their trade, how to develop their speech and broadcasting pitch.”
Participants learn practicalities of radio and podcasting technology, basics of media law and other skills – in a supportive environment, and at their own pace.
Says participant Jason Bodle: “The program has provided me with a platform and environment allowing me to express myself and educate others on my lived experiences of ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] & ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder]. I can now also provide a platform for the community to voice their stories and journeys.”
“A major feature”, says Simon, “is that the participants are not siloed – the stories they tell, the podcasts they create can be about their own lived experience, not just about disability but whatever they’re passionate about or interested in.”
Topics so far have included legal and rights issues and challenges facing people with a wide range of disabilities; but discussions have also ranged more widely into issues of war, environment, social justice, art, music and fashion.
“It’s not just in their disabilities that people experience diversity”, says Simon, “it’s also in their personalities, politics, attitudes and preferences.”
And it’s already opened many doors to those taking part. Says Jason: “Before the BSB programme I struggled to find my place in the world - but now I have a supportive network of mentors, friends and peers. This venture has opened up numerous new connections, opportunities and career paths that I previously could only have dreamt of.”
You can hear the Breaking Sound Barriers podcast on the Powerd website
If you’d like to contribute to, or find out more about Breaking Sound Barriers, follow these links: