1. Media representations
Disability

2. Two main ways of understanding
and representing disability
 Medical model
 Social model

3. Medical model
 ‘views disability as a product of
impairment’ (Bulsara, 2005)
 Focus is on physical difference, e.g.
blindness, being wheelchair bound
 Disabled defined as a group whose
bodies do not function normally and
are not capable of enjoying a normal
lifestyle

4. Social model
 Views disability as the outcome of
social barriers
 Focus is on obstacles and
discriminatory practices that those
with disabilities face
 Recognises that some people face
impairments, but highlights barriers
that exist preventing these people
from having an ordinary lifestyle

5. Under-representation of disability
 Content analysis from 1993-2002 shows
people with disabilities are shown
infrequently, and little has changed
 In 2002, they made an appearance in 11%
of programmes surveyed, but accounted for
0.8% of people that spoke
 Range of disabilities portrayed was limited
– notably related to medical model,
specifically blindness and being wheelchair
bound (Agyeman, 2003)

6. Images of the disabled
 According to Barnes  pitiable and pathetic
(1992), there are a  an object of violence
range of images of the  sinister and evil
disabled. Content  atmosphere or curio
analysis of electronic  ‘super cripple’
and print media
 an object of ridicule
identified ‘the disabled
person as……’  their own worst
enemy
 a burden
 sexually abnormal
 incapable of
participating
 normal

7. Images of the disabled
 Range of images identified but the most
prevalent ‘commonly perpetuate negative
stereotypes’ (Roper, 2003)
 ‘Three potent images are conjured up: pity,
dependent and flawed’ (Bulsara, 2005)
 For the most part media representations
thus ‘represent disabled people as deviant
outsiders in clear juxtaposition to the
normal and “able bodied” majority’
(Hughes, 1998)

8. Images of the disabled
 Most images show a continuation that the medical
model of disability remains most common
 Campaigners are more vocal and draw on the social
model
 Agyeman (2003) – 42% of disabled people in media
are portrayed in relation to ideas of prejudice,
discrimination and stereotyping, however it is still rare
for disability to be ‘portrayed as an everyday
incidental phenomenon’
 With ‘disabled people nipping into the Queen Vic for a
drink and then leaving again’ (Furner, 2005)

9. Ross (1996)
 Carried out a qualitative study of 384
disabled viewers’ attitudes towards
media representations of the disabled
 Found these disabled viewers were
overwhelmingly critical of way
disabled characters featured on
mainstream television. They objected
to:

10. Ross (1996)
 Disabled viewers’ objected to:
 Infantilization of disabled characters
 Unrealistic and sanitized portrayal of disability
 Persistent use of wheelchairs, white sticks and
guide dogs to denote disability
 Associations with disabled roles as anger and
bitterness
 Restricted repertoire of character types
 Lack of first-hand experience by media
practitioners
 Failure to present disabled people as able to
have an ordinary life

11. Links
 MORI POLL
 http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcha
 CREATURE COMFORTS 2007 AD
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5gwcAy65Bo
 CREATURE COMFORTS 2007 BEHIND THE SCENES
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cCkhGMISkg
 DIRECT GOV PAGES
 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndOblig