Disabled

• Are disabled people over/underrepresented in the media?

  They are under-represented
• what did Cumberbatch et al study?

  a selection of British factual, drama and entertainment TV programmes and found that disabled people were poorly represented in speaking roles
• What were fictional representations of disabled people like?

  They were better with both supporting and lead characters important to the plot
• What did Cumberatch and Negrine look at?


  They looked at british TV over 6 weeks and found the roles for disabled people were based on pity and comedy - Disabled actors never appeared as actors playing a person who just happens to have a disability, only in roles about disability
• What are some positive portrayals of disabled characters?

  Stephen Hawkins experience of Mordor neurone disease in the ‘Theory of everything’
• What did cumberbatch et al suggest about the representations of disabled people in 2014?

  That they were more likely to be serious than comedic on popular TV
• How are disabled people presented in powerful positions

  They are poorly represented and those who do hold powerful positions have often specialised in disabled issues for example, the radio journalist Peter White, who was born blind hosted radio shows about disability’s before becoming a disability correspondent and reporting on the 2008 Olympic Games
• What did Barents argue about disability?

  That they are often presented as being dependant on the charity of others. For example shows like children in ned may reinforce this stereotype

  He also suggested that they are presented as being unable to contribute to their local community
• How do the audience respond to disability?

  It depends on peoples experiences of diablity
• What did Cumberbatch and Negrine found about audiences responses?

  That people with limited or no real life experience of disability accepted the media sténotypies with title concern. However people with experience of disability rejected the media stereotypes and were more critical