Representations of Disability
- Created by: ecotts
- Created on: 02-01-18 11:23
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- Representation of Disability in the media
- Two sociological views
- People are disabled by their physical and/ or mental impairments
- It suggests the they need constant care from medical professional and their families
- Barnes and Shakespeare
- Disabled people are actually disabled by society, especially by prejudicial stereotypes and attitudes
- meaning that they are segregated from the rest of society reinforcing the idea that they have to e dependant on abled bodies
- Disabled people are actually disabled by society, especially by prejudicial stereotypes and attitudes
- People are disabled by their physical and/ or mental impairments
- Stereotypes
- Barnes
- He identified regular stereotypes of disabled people that appeared in the media
- 1. Pitiable & Pathetic
- Documentaries focus too heavily on disabled children and the possibilities for 'miracle' cures
- 2. sinister & evil
- They are often portrayed as criminal or monster
- In the James bond films the villains have something physically wrong
- They are often portrayed as criminal or monster
- 3. Atmospheric or curio
- They might be included in drama in order to enhance and atmospheric or to add visual impact such as facinaioc
- 4. super-cripples
- Portrayed as having special powers, Blind people viewed with super hearing
- For disability issues to be reported they have to be unexpected or heroic to be newsworthy
- Channel 4, paralympic advert had the slogan meet the superhuman
- For disability issues to be reported they have to be unexpected or heroic to be newsworthy
- Portrayed as having special powers, Blind people viewed with super hearing
- 5. Sexually abnormal
- It assumes that disabled people do not have sexual feelings r that they are sexually degenerate
- 6. incapable of participating in community life
- They are rarely shown as integral; and productive member of the community as students, parents, teachers etc
- 1. Pitiable & Pathetic
- Telethons
- Roper
- Telethons like 'Children in Need" rely on the 'Cute' children to raise money
- They are not representative of the range of disabled children
- They are entertaining for the audience
- rather than helping abled bodies in society understand the everyday life of what it is like to be disabled
- Soap stars create a musical video such as using songs from les mis to entertain the audience
- They confirm the social stereotype that they are dependant on abled bodies
- Shakespeare
- Media stereotype are 'Cude, one dimensional and simplistic'
- Using the disabled as a character trait, plot devise or as atmospheric reinforces negative attitudes
- It does not show awareness about the nature of disabilities
- Tabloid newspapers
- Watson, Philo and Briant
- There has been an increase on the coverage of disability
- however a reduction in sympathetic coverage
- There are negative coverage on those with mental health conditions
- 'hidden' disabilities as journalist describe them as we;fare 'scrounger's who were undeserving of benefits
- "75% of incapacity claimants are FIT to work"
- The negative coverage led th public to believe that many disabled people are frauds
- They portray the disabled as claiming benefits and are undeserving
- Two sociological views
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