Disability in the Media

Examining Stigma and Identity

By: Tracy R. Worrell

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eText | 30 March 2018 | Edition Number 1

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Disability in the Media: Examining Stigma and Identity looks at how disabilities are portrayed within the media and how individuals with disabilities are affected by their representation. The effects of media representation can be seen both at the level of the individual, with effects on self-identity for those with a disability, and at the level of society as a whole, with these portrayals playing a role in the social construction of disability, often further stigmatizing individuals with disabilities. On all levels, research has ended with a call to media producers, asking those in the entertainment industry to think about how they are portraying disability, to hire actors with disabilities, and to realize that the "supercrip" may not always be the most positive portrayal of disability. This book looks at the current status of disability representation in television and the popular press, offering case studies that examine their effect on individuals with disabilities and making suggestions for improving media representation and battling the perpetuation of social stigmas.

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Dr. Worrell reminds that while depictions of disability have become less stigmatizing in some ways, there remains much room for improvement. While the media—traditional, mobile, social, or otherwise—may play a role in such progress, it is ultimately up to those on the other end of the message to search for knowledge and meaning. Such a quest is one that challenges existing beliefs and could, as Dr. Worrell suggests, alter the ways in which disability continues to be socially constructed.