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Media Representation of Disability - Coggle Diagram
Media Representation of Disability
Theories of Representation
Post Modernists
Gauntlett
- it is impossible to make generalisations, different TV channels represent disabled people differently
The medical model of disability is in decline and our understanding is constantly changing.
Disabled people are shown in more positive representations e.g. Paralympics, Warwick Davis lands many successful roles in huge films e.g. Harry Potter, winner of Britain's Got Talent Lee Ridley has cerebral palsy
Pluralists
Representations reflect the dominant view in society that disability is dysfunctional for the individual and society. It shows that the majority of the public have anxieties about impairment.
Representations reflect the courage shown by disabled people, especially if they are young, and the Representations reflect the reality of carers and family of the disabled
Negative Representations
Barnes (1992)
: content analysis of electronic and print media identified disabled people in very negative ways: pitiable/ pathetic, objects of violence, sinister/ evil, objects of ridicule, a burden, sexually abnormal, their own worst enemy etc.
Roper (2003): Telethons
The media ends up creating a representation of beggars
Telethons are aimed at allowing the public to alleviate guilt and feel relief that they are not disabled.
Karpf (1988)
: They provide entertainment, they don't educate or inform viewers of the facts
Telethons (televised fundraising events) create problems for the disabled:
Rely on cute children for donations/ support which aren't representative of the disabled population
Imply that charities and not governments should provide for the disabled
Doesn't ask why these people are disadvantaged e.g. gov not doing enough to help
Shakespeare (2000)
Mass media encourages able-bodied people to view disabled people as "other"- an abnormal group that is not part of mainstream society
Media representations of disabled people relied on old, crude stereotypes of twisted villains and weak victims. They are simplistic and one dimensional.
In TV, disability is used as a character trait or plot device- rarely portrays a disabled person as someone normal who happens to have an impairment, it focuses on their disability as their main status.
Ross
Study of 384 disabled people- were
overwhelmingly critical of how they were featured
in mainstream tv:
Infantalised and sanitised portrayal of disabled characters
Persistent use of wheelchairs, guide dogs etc to overtly show they are disabled
Association with anger and bitterness
Very few character types
Watson et al
Articles focused on benefits and fraud tripled from 2005 - 2011: Disabled were portrayed as welfare scroungers and underserving of benefits, many accepted that they were fraudulent.
Content analysis of tabloid media coverage in British Newspapers- found an increase in reporting on disability
Increase in derogatory language: "cheat", "skiver"
Models of Disability
Social Model of Disability
: Society disables the individual by placing barriers on them. This is done through inaccessible buildings, services, or language, and prejudiced attitudes (disablism, stereotyping)
Medical Model of Disability:
people are disabled due to their own impairments or differences, thus the individual is the problem. It focuses on "fixing" or finding a "cure" for these impairments through medical treatment, even if it doesn't cause pain or illness.
Mental Disabilities
Philo
: media focuses on violent incidents of those with mental health conditions e.g. film Split= high proportion of the public felt fear and anxiety when in proximity to those with mental health problems.