1. Disability
Definition
A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
"children with severe physical disabilities"
A disadvantage or handicap, especially one imposed or recognized by the law.
The depiction of disability in the media plays a major role in forming public perception of disability. Perceptions created
by the media informs the way people with disabilities are treated in society. The media have been cited as a key site for
the reinforcement of negative images and ideas in regard to people with disabilities. In response, there have been
increasing examples worldwide of people with disabilities pursuing their own media projects, such as film series
centred on disability issues, radio programs and podcasts designed around and marketed towards those with
disabilities.
The media generally depict people with disabilities according to common stereotypes such as pity and heroism.
Negative day-to-day reporting may occur chiefly by depicting a given person or people with a disability as a burden or
drain on society. The "super-crip" model, in which subjects are portrayed as heroically overcoming their afflictions, is
also often used when reporting on sport. The social model tends to be used for reporting on the activities of disability
rights activists if the report is positive.
Stereotypical depictions of disability that originate in the arts, literature, film, television, and other mass media fiction
works, are frequently normalized through repetition to the general audience. Once such a stereotype is absorbed and
accepted by the mainstream public, it continues to be repeated in the media, in many slightly varied forms, but staying
close to the stereotype. Many media stereotypes about disability have been identified. They are sometimes referred to
as "tropes", meaning a recurring image or representation in the mainstream culture that is widely recognizable. Tropes
repeated in works of fiction have an influence on how society at large perceives people with disabilities.
