Recognizing the barriers that Deaf and disabled creators face across the screen industry and understanding the importance of taking action to ensure that our industry is more accessible and inclusive,  AccessCBC is a national CBC initiative for Deaf and disabled creators that will provide training, mentorship, and, on select projects, financing support to create scripted, documentary, podcast and kids content.

AccessCBC supports authentic storytelling by disabled creators, putting them in charge. This program’s understanding of disability embraces the definition, which is inclusive of visible and invisible disabilities, permanent, temporary, or episodic in nature, as defined by The Accessible Canada Act:

Barrier
“means anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”

Disability
“means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation—whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”

For more information on the individual programs' eligibility and submission requirements, please find details on the Scripted Stream, KIDS Stream, and PODCAST Stream below.

Opening Date: May 26, 2025 | Closing Date: EXTENDED: June 27, 2025

The deadline for submission is June 27, 2025, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time for all streams.

 Application Review:  June 28, 2025  → July 15, 2025 
 Notification of Successful Applicants: the week of July 21st, 2025 
 Program Launch: the week of August 6, 2025
 Program End Date: end of February 2026

CBC is committed to accessibility. Please let us know what we can do to make this program accessible to you in your application (e.g. closed captioning, ASL interpretation, alt formats, etc). If you have accessibility needs, face accessibility barriers, require accommodations, or would like to request an alternative process or format to complete and submit the application, please contact Sarah Duda, Content Accessibility Lead, general.accesscbc@gmail.com. Please also let us know in your application if you require accommodations to meaningfully participate in the creative sessions or any aspect of the program, should you be selected as a successful applicant. This information won't impact our assessment of your application, we will only be using it to make sure we structure these interactions inclusively. Any workshop or one-on-one meeting will be taking place over Zoom or a virtual platform equivalent (i.e. Google Meets). We are committed to working with you to ensure that the program and its various components are accessible and inclusive. We also understand that access needs can change and you will have more opportunities to share your access needs in the future.

This program will be assessed and reviewed by a committee including representatives from the CBC and the Disability Screen Office. The assessment will be based on the following criteria: 

• Vision and strength of the project idea
• Project's scope, timeline, and readiness.
• The impact your project will have, both for your career and the wider disabled creative community.
• Regional and Intersectional Representation

Project Stage: Pre-Development

This Scripted Stream includes an allocated stipend for a pre-development phase as well as mentorship for Deaf and disabled creators. CBC executives will work closely with creative teams to provide a unique opportunity to gain coaching and feedback on their concepts and leave with practical experience. Participants will also attend monthly workshops to gain practical business and industry knowledge. 

Note: Being a part of this program is a chance for your project to be reviewed and refined for potential development. It's important to understand that being a part of the program doesn't guarantee that you will receive a development deal at the end of the program.

• Any comedy or drama series (either half-hour comedy or hour-long drama) with a strong concept that aligns with the current commissioning needs of the CBC Scripted Team. 
• The series concept may or may not focus on disability narratives. 
• Any team consisting of at least one (1) writer and one (1) producer may apply as long as they satisfy the eligibility criteria. We kindly suggest keeping teams to a maximum of two people.

AccessCBC is open to creatives who are: 

• Canadian citizens or permanent residents 
• 18 years of age or older 
• Deaf and/or disabled
  • Note: While we prefer for both the writer and the producer to self-identify as Deaf and/or disabled, writers who self-identify as Deaf and/or disabled may apply with a non-disabled producer (however, copyright must be held by the writer)
• Not currently employed by the CBC
• Was not in the program in a previous season 
• It would be beneficial if the producer has experience in the field and a solid understanding of screen-based content production, demonstrated by involvement in at least two (2) projects as a producer, director, or writer (feature film, short film, or web-based series). Producers who do not have two credits may still apply as long as they have comparable industry experience. Please include a CV.

*Note: Comparable industry experience is defined as:  Experience in a key role (e.g. producer, line producer, editor, AD) on a project that has been accepted to/screened by either a film festival, linear broadcast, or subscription-based streaming service

Bio: A short paragraph that tells us about each member of the team and details previous work experience. CVs, reels, or other supplementary creative materials are welcome but not mandatory. 

Creative Proposal: Material that includes a project logline, synopsis, characters, and any other key details that you would like to share about the project.  To learn more about writing a project logline and synopsis, check out this resource. 

Submission release: This is included in the application form and is necessary for CBC to review your submission. 

You must satisfy all application requirements to be considered for this program. There is no fee to apply. We kindly ask that you submit just one project for consideration. 

How to Apply: Applicants may apply online via Google Form here. Alternatively, applicants may also email their application to general.accesscbc@gmail.com in written, spoken, or signed formats. Any questions regarding this program may also be directed to the above email address. 

Submission Form + Release Form (PDF Version)

CBC will choose up to two (2) teams that will receive a stipend amount of up to a maximum of $15,000 for their involvement in the program and their creation of a pitch package. This may go towards writing, research, and/or creating a more detailed proposal, etc. Final deliverables will be confirmed between the participants and the CBC executives. 

All participants will be expected to participate in 3-5 creative sessions with CBC executives, as well as monthly curated learning sessions between August  2025 and February 2026. Scheduled sessions will be arranged in consultation with the selected participants.