FIRST SECTION

ISSUE OF MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY

What is disability?

Most commonly, we tend to think of disability as being unable to do something. It is associated with the body (physical), mind (learning, mental). The idea of disability may seem natural, however Tom Shakespeare takes the view it is socially constructed. It is one difference that society treats as being a significant characteristic of a group of people. Shakespeare prefers the use of the word impairment, as the term disability has negative connotations. He believes that disabled people are actually by society.

How disabled sociologists see representation of disability in media

Disabled sociologists see disability as a social construct; that disabled people are actually disabled by society & its attitudes & practices. General research findings indicate that the media present stereotypical & stigmatised representations of disabled people. Barnes believes the media is partly responsible for the dissemination of negative stereotypes & portrayals of disabled people.

Cumberbatch & Negrine found disabled people were predominantly seen as figures we should pity.

Roper agrees with this in relation to media representations of the disabled via telethons which often feature ‘cute kids’. She found these telethons enable the public to alleviate their guilt & relief that they are not disabled by donating money. Telethons act to keep the audience in the position of givers & disabled recipients as grateful & dependent. Consequently, these media representations affect the audience by backing up prejudices about the disabled – that they are dependent on the help of able-bodied people

Roper (2003) suggests that mass media representations of disability on telethons can create problems for people with disabilities and suggests that telethons over-rely on ‘cute’ children who are not that representative of the range of people with disabilities in Britain. Roper argues that telethons are primarily aimed at encouraging the general public to alleviate their guilt and their relief that they are not disabled, by giving money rather than informing the general public of the facts about disability.

Karpf (1988) suggests that there is a need for charities, but that telethons act to keep the audience in the position of givers and to keep recipients in their place as grateful and dependent. Karpf notes that telethons are about entertaining the public, rather than helping us to understand the everyday realities of what it is like to have a disability. Consequently, these media representations merely confirm social prejudices about people with disabilities, e.g. that they are dependent on the help of able-bodied people

It is quite obvious that the media represents disabled people in a negative, stereotypical way.

It is also important to note that the disabled do not appear in the media very often.

Why is it important to spread awareness of the negative assumption of disabled people by the media

Much of this is attributable to the persistence of traditional misconceptions

about disability and disabled people. Stereotype assumptions about people

with impairments are based on superstition, myths and beliefs from earlier

less enlightened times. They are inherent to our culture and persist partly

because they are constantly reproduced through the communications media;

books, films, television, newspapers and advertising. Moreover, in the same

way those racist or sexist attitudes, whether implicit or explicit, are

acquired through the 'normal' learning process, so too are negative

assumptions about disabled people. 

While the media alone cannot be held responsible for this alarming

situation its impact cannot be overlooked. Official figures show that 98 per

cent of British homes have a television, and on average we spend at least 24

and three quarter hours a week watching it. Sixty five per cent of the

population read a daily newspaper, 72 per cent a Sunday newspaper, 9 per

cent read magazines, and 81 per cent of the 26 per cent who use public

libraries borrow books

 In Conclusion,

Images and stories in the media can deeply influence public opinion and establish societal norms. Persons with disabilities are seldom covered in the media, and when they are featured, they are often negatively stereotyped and not appropriately represented. It is not uncommon to see persons with disabilities treated as objects of pity, charity or medical treatment that have to overcome a tragic and disabling condition or conversely, presented as superheroes who have accomplished great feats, so as to inspire the non-disabled.

The media can be a vital instrument in raising awareness, countering stigma and misinformation. It can be a powerful force to change societal misconceptions and present persons with disabilities as individuals that are a part of human diversity. By increasing the awareness and understanding of disability issues and the diversity of persons with disabilities and their situations, the media can actively contribute to an effective and successful integration of persons with disabilities in all aspects of societal life.

Attention should be drawn to the image of disability in the media with a view to an accurate and balanced portrayal of disability as a part of everyday life. The media can play an important role in presenting disability issues in a way that could dispel negative stereotypes and promote the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, options should be developed on how to present persons with disabilities in various media.