Disability in the media: examining stigma and identity

Disability in the Media is a critique of the stigmatising representations of disabilities in the media and how they affect the lives of people whose conditions are characterised. The book has an introductory note and nine chapters which are organised into three sections. In the Introduction, Dr Worrell cites a number of problematic instances of media representations of cognitive disabilities through the use of murderous and anti-social characters. She also poses a number of salient questions (x) about these negative representations of cognitive disabilities, in a way that will drive readers’ attention and interest to the reality of these negative representations and how they create and reinforce stereotypes and disability stigma, and also how they influence the self-concept and self-identities of disabled people. Citing a number of previous works, Worrell grounds this book in the disability representation theory and calls for content developers and producers to be progressive and realistic in their representations of cognitive disabilities and other forms of disability. The Introduction is a strong statement about what this book represents and what it seeks to address.

The first section (‘What is the Media Showing?’) outlines how disability has been represented in fictional media through time from the 1950s and the usual stereotypes – ‘victim, hero, villain and fool’ (5) – that are portrayed (Chapter 1). This is, as Worrell recognises, a slight variation from the stereotypes identified by Nelson (2000) who has ‘victim’ and ‘hero’ but, in addition, ‘threat’, ‘unable to adjust’, ‘unable to be cared for’ and ‘one who shouldn’t have survived’. Barnes (1992) has a more elaborate scheme of 11 stereotypes that are often represented by the media. Certainly, it does appear that Worrell’s classification merges some of Barnes’ (1992) and Nelson’s (2000) typologies. In Chapter 2, she discusses how the popular press portrays disability using ‘traditional’ and ‘progressive’ models with the ‘supercrip’ imagery being, perhaps, the most dominant representation.

Worrell discusses various theories that seek to explain the social and cognitive effects of the dominant imagery of disability in the media (Chapter 3) and the modern trend of social media representations of disability (Chapter 4). The fourth chapter is particularly instructive and useful because social media has become one of the most dominant ways through which people connect to others across societies and borders. As a result of this, stereotypes that inform representations of disability can easily be disseminated to areas far off the source and the effects have a far-reaching consequence on the lives of both disabled and non-disabled people.

The second section (‘What is the Media Doing?’) (Chapters 5–8) deals with the effects of the largely negative representations of disability in the media on disabled people, particularly people with physical disabilities, hearing impairment and cognitive disabilities. Two key themes are addressed in this section. The first is the lack of representation of disabled people on the screen and the marginal roles they often assume when they do appear, in ways that mirror the social exclusion and stigmatisation often found in actual societies. The second is the social construction of disability. Disability oppression is created through complex dynamics of media representations. The knowledge produced through the production of media content gives meaning to existing stereotypes, especially in cases where accurate information to the contrary is hardly available. The content of media is influenced by society and media also influences society.

The third section (‘What can the Media Do?’) has one chapter (Chapter 9), and in this chapter Worrell offers suggestions on how the media and significant social actors – policy-makers, caregivers, health practitioners and audiences – can work towards representations that liberate disabled people rather than reinforce the stereotypes which tend to aggravate disability oppression.

While research and debates about stigmatising representations of disability in the media are not new, as evidenced in the numerous references to previous works in the book, Disability in the Media is a pointer to the fact that the paradigm shift being sought is yet to be realised. As Worrell puts it, ‘… the representation of disability in the media is inadequate, inaccurate, mostly negative, and may have significant impact on society’s treatment of individuals with disabilities …’ (97). As it stands, the media through their anti-social representations and nebulous attempts to create ‘realistic’ imageries continue to create and reinforce disability stigma and misinform consumers about what disabilities are and what they are not, much in the same way as occurred several decades ago.

Dr Worrell has done well with how she has organised the sections and how she has detailed the issues she presents in the book. The Introduction lays the grounds for the book by highlighting the seriousness of the unpleasant representations of cognitive disabilities. The sections that follow are equally significant with how the empirical studies she draws on show the effects that negative portrayals of disabilities have on both disabled and non-disabled people, at the level of individual interaction, institutional/community relations and, ultimately, in the structural organisation of society. This book is an important reminder to media practitioners, communicators and various societies on how influential the media is in shaping attitudes that have serious implications for the lives of disabled people. The media has become increasingly dominant and powerful in (post)modern times with its ability to define social and political thought. Worrell’s book admonishes not only media content developers, practitioners and social media users, but also policy-makers, health professionals, caregivers and all viewers that they have a responsibility to promote disability inclusiveness in ways which will challenge the anti-social representations of disability in the media.

In addition to being an informative, critical and comprehensively written book, its small size and accessible language are good reasons for potentials readers to get Disability in the Media. It is a good academic document but it is also suitable for non-academics – advocacy communities, policy-makers, media practitioners and all who seek to explore contemporary ways of responding to the negative and stereotypical representations of disability in the media. The desired change, however, will be possible if the driving force behind such an expectation is grounded in policy and law for it to be robust. Nevertheless, this book adds to the debate and long-running push for realistic, truthful and empowering representations of disability. The media will also benefit from the desired change if it realises the trail of errors left behind from the past and corrects itself to be on the progressive side of history. Hopefully, this book will produce the desired effect by driving all relevant social actors into action. By primarily focusing on negative stereotypes of cognitive disabilities, Disability in the Media places more pressure on academia and disability advocacy communities to continue working relentlessly as agents of change. I recommend this book as a must read for all.

Joseph Ocran
Department of Social Sciences
Central University, Tema, Ghana
[email protected]; [email protected]
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3322-9840