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The Effects of Media on Persons with DisabilitiesAnonymous StudentFenelon Falls Secondary School The Effects of Media on Persons with DisabilitiesMedia can be said to be one of the most influential and effectual methods of communication in today’s society. It shapes opinion and can bring awareness to important issues that may not otherwise receive adequate attention. Media also comes in many different forms that are routinely present in the western world, such as movies, television, books, magazines, newspapers, radio and the like. Media has often been said to depict and perpetuate many stereotypes about certain people, and is one of the most prolific conveyers of particular stereotypes in society today. A stereotype is a “widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular person or thing” (Scambler and Scambler, 2010). There are many different stereotypes that exist in society. A few examples are that all blonds are dumb, and all Asians are smart. Some that are potentially more serious include the notion that all Muslims are terrorists. Stereotypes usually evolve from one particular incident involving someone of that particular group, which makes many people believe all people of that group are the same. Stereotypes are very harmful as they strip away individuality from the actual person and instead fall under a sweeping generalization about what type of person they are. While the list of stereotypes that currently exist is extensive, the stereotyping that happens with regards to disability are numerous and have a serious impact on those who suffer impairments, those who care about them, and the rest of society. According to the American Disabilities Act of 1990, disability is defined as an “impairment that substantially limits on or more of the major life activities” (Michalko and Titchkosky, 2009, p.2). There are many different types of disabilities; some are more limiting than others in different types of ways. Overall, society has improved in the way people with disabilities are treated as there have been many policies made that directly affect persons with disabilities. The United Nations holds an annual international day of persons with disabilities on December 3rd, in which a different disability is focused on each year in order to raise awareness about the conditions of the disability. There are also many policies in place that prohibit discrimination against others with disabilities. In spite of constant efforts to treat persons with disabilities as equals, they continue to be poorly or misrepresented in the media. Disabilities are most often represented in particular ways that are very stereotypical. Persons with disabilities are most often portrayed as the victim of their situation, or as a helpless non-functioning member of society. As well, they can be portrayed as a sort of hero who has overcame their disabling condition. Finally, persons with disabilities may be depicted as a villain, or someone who is very angry and violent. Clearly, these are the three most common and damaging stereotypes in relation to persons with disabilities present in the media today. Additionally, the impact of these stereotypes results in a lower level of sexual health care, compromised education and discrimination in terms of employment.To begin, one of the most common stereotypes of persons with disabilities in the media is having that person take on a victim role whereby they are pitied, or seen as helpless. A very used example of persons with disabilities being seen as helpless is their lack of desire to live. Many media forms portray disability to be seen as a kind of limit that is seemingly disconnected from the rest of the world and any possibilities (Titchkosky, 2007). In turn, this idea of disability in a story can make it appear as if the main character does not want to live anymore, and sees death as a better option than being disabled. It gives off the notion that “disability is a problem” (Titchkosky, 2007). There are many examples where having a disability is seen as so terrible that death is a viable choice, and such examples are very harmful to actual people living with disabilities due to the fact that many people are living out full lives with the same debilitating conditions characters have in a narrative. One example is the 2004 Oscar winning movie Million Dollar Baby. This movie was extremely controversial for many reasons; one being that it endorsed assisted suicide. However, one of the biggest critiques the film received was its portrayal of disability and how the movie endorsed the main character, Maggie’s view that her life was not worth living after her injury (Couser, 2009). She was subjected to horrible treatment by her family following the accident and received no emotional or physical support that would have enabled her to live a better life. There was also no other characters in the movie that tried to counter her decision to end her life on the basis of her injury; instead they all just left her to try to cope with her injury on her own. Essentially, this film “presents Maggie as broken, unfixable, and better off dead” (Couser, 2009). To have this sort of portrayal in such a popular movie is a severe detriment to the disabled community. The character’s accident was “tragic” but it is insulting to suggest that there is no better option than death in that situation, when it is of expectation that people who are already disabled have to live and function in society with that condition, and should just be thankful they are alive. Yet another example of disability being portrayed as an issue so abominable that death is the right option is the bestselling novel and soon to be movie Me Before You. Similar to Million Dollar Baby, an active man is left as a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident and receives a caretaker. First, this enforces the notion that all disabled people are so helpless that they constantly require assistance and cannot function without being dependent (Media Smarts, n.d). Just like in Million Dollar Baby this story connects disability to assisted suicide, using the main character’s disabling condition as nothing but a “loss in need of annihilation” (Titchkosky, 2007). It is a story that manipulates disability in a way that it means something negative, as the main character suffers from depression and lets his life slip away, eventually choosing to end his own life because he believes that he will never be happy or could make anyone happy, even though he is in love. Again, disability is being described as a loss and presented as a stereotype that all disabled people are unhappy with their conditions when that is not the case. Although this mostly applies to physical disabilities, the same can also be said for intellectual disabilities. Many with intellectual disabilities, especially minor ones such as Asperger’s, are shown to be so terrible and humiliating that there is no way the character can be happy. Overall, the connections in narrative forms between suicide and disability are ongoing in society, and there is no reason those two concepts should be synonymous with each other, as it is very possible to live a fulfilling life with a disabling condition. Another way that disabled people are victimized in the media lies in the representation of the majority being incapable of having a sexual relationship, even an intimate romantic one at best. People with disabilities often struggle with being seen as “ordinarily sexual,” which is due in large part to the media representation of how people with disabilities are thought to live their lives. In mainstream culture, people with disabilities are mostly regarded as “asexual,” with their lack of sexual function occasionally being a main focus of either a narrative or any other media type (The Sexualization Report, 2013). However, it is not just media that depicts persons with disabilities as asexual; the lack of medical and academic understanding of the sexuality of people with disabilities also contributes to the perceived stereotype of being “asexual” beings (The Sexualization Report). Sexuality was typically never something medical professionals were concerned with in the past with regards to persons with disabilities, as it was generally only considered to be a major topic for the “able-bodied.” Even recently given the immense amount of awareness and research into disabilities, there has not been a significant amount of medical research into the sexuality of disabled people, so there is not much fact for media producers to work with (The Sexualization Report, 2013). Thus, the sexuality of persons with disabilities is ignored, or seen as not important, further emphasizing the stereotype that persons with disabilities are helpless when it comes to their sexuality. It becomes implied that they will never live a fulfilled life because they cannot be sexual. Being portrayed as people who are automatically not sexual is detrimental to persons with disabilities as it can affect their self-esteem as well as their potential chance at being part of an intimate relationship due to perceived notions about their sexuality. Being pitted as “asexual” is one of the small ways persons with disabilities are stereotyped in the media that portrays them as victims. On the opposite side, people with disabilities can also be portrayed to be a hero of some sort. If they overcome a disability, they are extraordinary or special because they managed to be successful in spite of a disability. Traditionally, in a medical framework, disability was merely a thing, and people who had disabilities were seen as incapable of accomplishing anything worthy in life (Titchkosky, 2007). However, the media sensationalizes disability more frequently today, resulting in a phenomenon in which people with disabilities who have accomplished anything significant are worshipped and seen as amazing people because in spite of their disability, they were successful. A supercrip is a “person who conforms to the individual model by overcoming [their] disability and becoming more ‘normal’, in a heroic way” (Media Smarts, 2009). The use of supercrips in media make viewers and readers believe disabled people can only be considered valuable people if they achieve a feat that appears to present them overcoming their disability. The problem with the use of supercrips in the media is that it devalues those who have not accomplished magnificent feats or been overly successful in life. However, this does not mean they are any less of a person. People with disabilities do not to need to be validated through how much they overcome their disability; they deserve to be treated equal just for simply existing regardless of how disabled they are. Although a “supercrip” might appear to be a better stereotype than someone who is helpless or victimized, there are many damaging aspects to this portrayal of persons with disabilities as well. The biggest problem it poses to persons with disabilities in today’s society is that it presents disability as a challenge that must be overcome in order to be normal (Media Smarts, 2009). As well, it makes the audience feel better about people being disabled through the reinforcement that a disability can be overcome if only one tries hard enough (Media Smarts, 2009). This representation is harmful because it appears to lessen the severity of a disability, as it implies that there is a way to overcome their condition. People who are successful in spite of their disability are seen as superior because they did not let their disability hold them back. Stephen Hawking was seen as inspirational for his intelligence; but it is fair to assume he would not have been as idolized if he did not have a disability. Majority of the time, people with disabilities do not wish to be worshipped as if they are amazing for accomplishing anything in life (Couser, 2009). They would rather be appreciated for what they bring to society without having to be validated through an attached achievement.Finally, the third stereotypical way people with disabilities are portrayed in the media is in a very negative light in which they are perceived to be evil or a villain in a narrative form. So often, disability is seen as a negative concept so it easy for media to put an evil spin on it without bringing attention to what they are doing. This stereotype makes it extremely difficult for people with disabilities. For years in narratives and movies, physical disability has traditionally been a marker for the story’s villain (Media Smarts, 2009). It is something that people should be scared of, and it easily lets people know who the bad guy is. Using disability in such a negative light acts “as a prompt for narrative and as a trap that conflates narrative and character” (Couser, 2009, p 17). The story automatically becomes more interesting when there is an easily identifiable villain. It may also help young children make the connection easier, but it also teaches them from a young age that having a disability is bad, because all of the villains they know of possess some type of physically disabling condition. It is not unusual to see “scarred, maimed, and mutilated villains in children’s stories” (Couser, 2009, p 25). These villains essentially do not conform to cultural standards because of their disability, so they can easily be separated from the rest of the “good” society (Campbell, 2009, p 20). An example of using disability to represent someone who may be of sinister nature is Captain Hook in Peter Pan. The hook makes him easily identifiable as the villain because he is different than the rest of the characters. Manipulating a disability to coincide with evil is extremely detrimental to people with disabilities because other may perceive them to be bad, or not as good as those without disabilities. Disability is not only used to identify a villain in any media forms, it may also be portrayed to be the reason someone is a terrible person or does terrible things. It is the idea that life with a disability is so terrible, they were innately forced to commit a crime or become a bad person as a result. This is extremely harmful to entire community of persons with disabilities because it perpetuates the notion that everyone who has a disability is angry and feels the need to do something violent because they were given an unfair life. Fictional television programs often portray disabled people as criminals, which further enforces the idea that that only people with “normal” attributes are valued (Couser, 2009, p 26). Children with Aspergers are often depicted in media as murderers or violent simply because they have Aspergers (Titchkosky, 2007). They believe that the whole world is against them so they act out against the cultural or societal norm. However; many people are fully capable of living with their disability and participate in everyday life without ever committing a crime that stems directly from them having a disability. Ultimately, the stereotyping of disabled people as evil is extremely prominent due the common use in children’s media all the way too adult films, and is extremely harmful to actual disabled people as it may be assumed they are bad people. It is necessary to be aware how detrimental these stereotypes are to those with disabilities; other aspects of their lives are heavily affected due to misconceptions about disabilities that are put forth by the media. The misrepresentation of the sexuality of those with a disability can deny someone proper sexual education, or medical advice with regards to sex (The Sexualization Report, 2013). People, including medical personnel, may be uninformed about the sexuality of disabled people. There are fewer medical studies or reports to inform doctors and other health care providers with needed information regarding drug impacts, performance and how disease may impact those with different abilities or impairments. The lack of this information is not necessarily noted by medical professionals, because of the stereotypes that people with different impairments, not being sexually active. People with disabilities may also feel unconfident with themselves sexually because of the poor representation in the media. Their sexual health and wellbeing is more at risk than for those who do not have a disability. People with disabilities may also be affected in terms of the level of education they receive. The media arguably has an impact on teacher’s perceptions of students with disabilities. A 2004 study found that the way people with disabilities are represented in the media, affects teacher expectations and, hence, influences what happens in the classroom (Samsel and Perepa, 2013). If people with disabilities are represented to be not as smart or as able to participate in school, then teachers might have lower expectations for their students, which could ultimately affect their level of education, and therefore, their ability to pursue certain careers. The teachers in the sample acknowledged media as “impacting their understanding, awareness and knowledge of disabilities and approaches” (Samsel and Perepa, 2013). These stereotypes may be subconsciously be affecting their teaching practices; all because of the negative portrayal of persons with disabilities put forth by media. One final effect of the stereotypical representation of persons with disabilities is in terms of employment. As a result of the negative associations that come forward because of the media representation of disability, people with disabilities may not appear to be as employable or worthwhile to a company. According to a Statistics Canada census in 2011, only forty nine percent of people with a disability between the ages of twenty five and sixty four had a job, as opposed to an employment rate of seventy nine percent among the general working age population (Evans, 2014). The reason behind the unemployment is not lack of skills, it is it a “perception and assumption that they can’t do the job, or that the workplace will have to accommodate them” (Evans, 2014). Such a perception stems from the misconception most likely put forth by the media that people with disabilities are helpless members of society; however, there are many of those who are perfectly capable of integrating into a highly respected career despite their disability.Clearly, media can be said to be one of the most negatively influential methods of communication in today’s society that shapes opinion regarding stereotypes in society today. Stereotypes are very harmful as they strip away individuality from the actual person and instead fall under a sweeping generalization about what type of person they are. There are an alarming number of stereotypes that happen with regards to disability. These have a serious impact on those who suffer impairments. Overall, society has improved in the way people with disabilities are treated as there have been many policies made that directly affect persons with disabilities. There are also many policies in place that prohibit discrimination against others with disabilities. However, in spite of constant efforts to treat persons with disabilities as equals, they continue to be poorly or misrepresented in the media. Disabilities are most often represented in particular ways that are highly stereotypical. Persons with disabilities are most often portrayed as the victim of their situation, or as a helpless non-functioning member of society. They are portrayed as a sort of hero who has overcame their disabling condition. Persons with disabilities may be depicted as a villain, or someone who is very angry and violent. Additionally, the resulting impacts are destructive resulting in deficits in medical care and treatment, education and discrimination in terms of employment. The existence of these negative stereotypes and their harmful impacts need to be addressed in order for people with disabilities to flourish. The different abilities that they experience should not be compounded by the existence of unnecessary stereotypes and the resulting prejudices and discriminations that ensue.ReferencesCampbell, F. K. (2009). Contours of ableism: The production of disability and ableness. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Couser, G. T. (2009). Signifying bodies: Disability in contemporary life writing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Evans, P. (2014, December 03). Less than half of Canadian adults with disabilities have jobs: StatsCan. Retrieved from Smarts. (n.d.). Persons with disabilities. Retrieved May 17, 2016, from , R., & Titchkosky, T. (2009). Rethinking normalcy: A disability studies reader. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.Samsel, M., & Perepa, P. (2013). The impact of media representation of disabilities on teachers' perceptions. Support for Learning. 28(4), 138-145.Titchkosky, T. (2007). Reading and writing disability differently: The textured life of embodiment.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.The Sexualization Report. (2013). Sexuality and disability. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from ................
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