Media representations of disability

What is a disability?

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

A disabled person’s condition is not always visible.

What is the Pluralist view of media reps of disability?

Pluralists argue that the media is a mirror of society. The media reflects different opinions that people have about disability. Stereotypical representations: disability is dysfunctional for the individual and for society.

Media companies respond to hat audiences want in order to be profitable (supply and demand model). The media has adapted to include more accurate and positive portrayals to reflect audience values and attract viewers.

Evaluation of Pluralist theory

The media industry is still dominated by non-disabled people. Critics argue that Pluralism overlooks how deeply ableism is built into society and the media system.

The media often uses disability to attract sympathy, drama, or inspiration to gain the attention of those who are able-bodied not to empower disabled people.

What is the Postmodernist view of media reps of disability?

• Identity can be reconstructed- this opens space for questioning and challenging stereotypes, but it also creates confusion and contradictions about what disability ‘means’. 

• Social media allows disabled individuals to create and share multiple, personal and varied representations of themselves. 

Disabled people can bypass mainstream media by using YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc.. to present authentic, humorous- self reps to challenge traditional/ tragic portrayals of disability. This de-centers dominate narratives, like ableism.

Criticisms of the Postmodernist theory

Watson, Philo and Briant:

• They compared media coverage of disability in 5 newspapers in 2004-5 and 2010-11. They found an increase in reporting of disability. 

• Negative portrayals/articles on disability and benefit fraud increased threefold between 2005 and 2011. This lead the public to believe that many disabled people were fraudulently claiming benefits.

Evaluation of the Postmodernist theory of media reps of disability 

It overlooks structural inequalities. Pluralists ignore the power that media owners have- the ownership of media companies, prioritises profit over inclusion.

What is the social constructionism view on media reps of disability?

Social constructionists believe that disability is shaped by society, instead of by mental or physical impairments. When the media repeatedly uses certain stereotypes, they become taken for granted as ‘truth’.

• This shapes how society treats disabled people, often leading to marginalisation or social exclusion.

Barnes: disabled people are symbolically annihilated as: pitiable and pathetic, sinister and evil (e.g in James Bond movies the villains often have physical impairments- Disney villains), super-cripple- disabled people having superpowers- blindness- sixth sense.

Williams-Findlay: they examined the Times and the portrays of disabled people between 1989 and 2009. The stereotypical and negative portrayals of disabled people were present in both newspapers in 2009 because journalists still assumed the disability was ‘tragic’.

Evaluation of the social constructionist theory of media reps of disability

Strengths: shifts the focus away from disability as a personal or medical ‘problem’ + highlights how society  creates and reinforces ideas about disability. Disabled people are often marginalised because of societal attitudes and media portrayals.