Representations of Disability

Question 1

disability - impairment

Answer 1

difference in functioning of the body/mind

not the same as disability

Question 2

disability

Answer 2

impairment that affects the ability to carry out normal activities
created by society to define people who do not meet society’s view of normal

Question 3

disability - disability as a social product

Answer 3

social attitudes turn impairment into disability due to discrimination
done through the socialisation process forming media stereotype by the media gaze

Question 4

disability - percentage of disabled people in TV population in comparison to population of disabled people in UK

Answer 4

11m people in UK are disabled
25% in TV population
2/3 they played a disabled person rather than a person with an impairment

Question 5

disability - representations of disabled people

Answer 5

under-represented
portrayed negatively
face symbolic annihilation

Question 6

disability - negative representations in articles & film

Answer 6

2005-2010 articles describing disabled people sympathetically reduced but linking them to benefit fraud doubled
people with mental health conditions portrayed as being a threat to others and violent (split)

Question 7

disability - changing representations

Answer 7

2014

increase in positive/sympathetic representations of mental illnesses

Question 8

disability - stereotypes of disability; barnes

Answer 8

pathetic; pity & objects of charity
object of curiosity; enhance certain atmosphere
object of violence; victims, vulnerable
sinister/evil (frankenstein)
super cripple; super human (2012 paralympics advert)
object of ridicule
their own worst enemy; self-pity
burden
non-sexual
unable to participate in daily lives

Question 9

disability - what does inaccurate reflections of disabled people experiences reinforce?

Answer 9

negative attitudes and creates stereotypes