Increasing the visibility of people with disabilities in the media

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities in early December, a group of disability-focused organizations from Canada and the United States started a campaign called Visibility for Disability. According to the Visibility for Disability website, over one billion people live with disability, yet this group is barely represented in the media. The campaign’s goal is to change people’s perceptions of disability by increasing this representation. 

To demonstrate this need, the organization created a video in which a focus group is presented with fake television commercials for cereal and laundry detergent that depict people with disabilities. In the video, the members of the focus group reacted to the clips by asking why everyone they saw was handicapped. Some said they found the inclusion of people with disabilities strange or their presence rubbed them the wrong way.

Then, the organization showed the same group a different ending to both commercials, in which the people with disabilities in the fake commercials explained that they were featured in an effort to draw attention to this lack of representation in media. Watching this ending caused the focus group to reflect on how the media might help people accept others with disabilities if they are represented properly and more often. 

A new report by GLAAD, formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, found that out of the 879 series regulars on broadcast programming in 2019, 3.1 percent (27 characters) have disabilities. This is a 10-year record high, and 9 characters more than last year’s 2.1 percent (18 characters). 

Visibility for Disability, however, points out that 95 percent of TV characters with disabilities are played by nondisabled actors. The organization also asks for content creators to pledge their support and become a signatory to the initiative’s open letter, aimed to give people with disabilities a voice. So far, 100 content creators, including directors, actors/actresses, and photographers, have signed the letter.  

Other media organizations around the world have also made an effort to improve their representation of people with disabilities. On Dec. 3, the BBC published an article in which they promised a more “authentic and distinctive representation” of disabled people on screen. On Dec. 4, Emmy Award-winning reality television show actor Sean McElwee testified to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business about entrepreneurship and job-seekers with disabilities. This year’s observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations consisted of a panel discussion on new initiatives for disability inclusion and a spotlight event on sport for all for peace and development. 

Resources for hiring someone with a disability can also be found at the bottom of the Visibility for Disability website and include things like a Hollywood inclusion toolkit, resources for entertainment professionals, and a best practices guide for employing writers with disabilities.