Perspectives on disability

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  • Created by: ecotts
  • Created on: 02-01-18 12:16
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  • Perspectives on Disability
    • Pluralist
      • Media representations of the disabled reflect the dominant medical view
        • Which is that disability is dysfunctional for both the individual and society as the representations mirror the anxiety of society
      • It also reflects society's admirations of the 'courage' of disabled people
        • Therefore the media portrayals of the disabled show the reality of the life they live
    • Postmodernist
      • They argue that the medical meta-narrative (dominant story) is in decline
        • because the idea of the disabled that impairment does not mean unhealthy, deficiency and dependant in increasingly heard and acted upon
          • This is shown through representations of the disabled though sport
      • they argue the disabled people in the 21st century can politically organise themselves, find their voice and construct their own identities
    • Social Constructionist
      • Media representations are seen very different by sociologist who are disabled themselves
        • and by those who belong to the social constructionist school of disability
      • Disabled people are disabled by society particularly by social reaction to people with impairments
        • They say there are 3 reasons why the media representations take the form they do
      • 1. medical professionals set the agenda for media portrayal of disability
        • They are at the top of the hierachy of credibility
          • Whatever their view of disability is such as unhealthy, tragic dominates the journalist perspective
      • 2. Portrayal reflect the prejudgment that abled bodied people feel towards the disabled
        • this is that the disabled reflect what the 'normal' world dreads such as personal tragedy
      • 3. disabled people are rarely consulted by journalist
        • Negative representations therefore reinforce the 'low' status, exclusion and inequality give to disabled people in an abled-body society
    • Criticism
      • Gauntlett
        • Because of the diversity of media, it is difficult to generalise these points to be all the same
          • for example, BBC and ITV may be represent the disabled positively, but Channel 5 may be negative and so may tabloid newspapers

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