The Welsh media has recently come under fire in the UK for the way that it objectifies and
discriminates against people with disabilities. A recent conference that took place in the area
ruled that the media, particularly across England and Wales, is often guilty of using disabled
people as either a metaphor for a topical message or as “inspiration porn” – a rather crass term
referring to “thought provoking and heartbreaking“ tales about people living with a disability.
As a topic of discourse, this has opened up a few questions and thoughts on the global disability
stage, as many advocates and supporters of disabled people everywhere feel that now is the
time for the media to reevaluate its relationship with disability. Unfortunately, it’s very normal for
the media to paint a rather particular picture about people with disabilities and the way that they
live their lives. These types of people are often referred to as inspirational or fighters, and it’s
often skewed in a very inspirational way. However, there are many who feel that this is not
helpful for the media image that the disability community needs to cultivate.
The simple reality about disability and people living with it is that life can be hard. It’s often a
very excluded, very lonely way of life. After all, the media doesn’t report about how pavements
in cities aren’t suitable for wheelchair users, or how disabled people struggle to take advantage
of public transport links. The gritty reality of life with a disability is often uncomfortable to look at
because it highlights the failings of the rest of society, and therefore the media often chooses
not to report on it.
As disability support workers Gold Coast, we feel that the media needs to stop using disabled
people as a way to publish a sob story. News coverage for people with disabilities can be very
helpful in raising awareness, but when it’s a fluff piece about someone heroically living with a
disability, that’s not helpful. That’s not promoting awareness of the issues that disabled people
face, and that’s not championing the cause – that’s just trying to tug on the heartstrings of
readers.
Ultimately, we feel if you are going to talk about disability, you have to be prepared to talk about
the gritty parts of it. You have to be willing to accept that there are many aspects of life with a
disability, which are not enjoyable, are not attractive to look at, and forces the rest of society to
take a very close look at themselves and how they view the world. This is ultimately the kind of
media coverage which we should see more of in the future, and if media outlets do begin to
change the way they report on people with disabilities as a result of this public condemnation,
then more so the better. After all, disabled people are not easy subjects for a news story on a
slow day.
