Disability in the Media: Critical Discussion of Campaign Outcomes

This essay critically analyzes the impact of media campaigns on societal attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. It explores how the media, often considered a reflection of society, has played a crucial role in shifting perceptions through various programs, initiatives, and government policies. The essay highlights the effectiveness of media in raising awareness, promoting equality, and encouraging positive portrayals of disabled persons, including the use of sign language interpreters in news broadcasts. By examining campaign outcomes and referencing relevant literature, the essay demonstrates a positive shift in public perception, moving away from negative stereotypes towards recognizing the abilities and equal citizenship of disabled individuals. The essay concludes by emphasizing the media's role as a tool for promoting inclusivity and advocating for policies that support and value disabled members of the society.

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DISABILITY IN THE MEDIA
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Critical discussion of campaign outcomes
The attitude towards the disabled in the society has changed and thanks to campaigns,
initiatives, and programs that have been established by organizations, institutions, the
government, members of the society and more so the media. According to Fisher and Purcal
(2016) programs have gone a long way in changing the attitude of people towards members of
the society who are disabled. The media has not been left behind, and it has helped in
changing the attitude towards the disabled in different ways. Considering that the media is
always seen as the mirror of the society, it is apparent that its content reaches a big number of
people and it has a direct impact on their lives.
Through programs that have been funded and promoted by organizations and
governments, the media has played a significant role in depicting the disabled as equal
citizens and members of the society. To create awareness and encourage the members of the
society to have a different perception, the media has broadcasted about the policies that have
been put in place to make sure that the victimization of the disabled in the society is a thing of
the past (Australian Government, 2012). The media has also been used to enhance the
campaign to emphasize the need to educate, train, and employ the disabled persons in the
society. Emphasis on the need to stop discrimination is one of the initiatives that the
governments, as well as organizations, have given much attention (Kleeman and Wilson,
2007). When the media, government, and organizations come together towards making sure
that the disabled persons access resources and are treated fairly, the attitude towards them
change.
Evaluation

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Without fear of doubt, it is apparent that the effort by the media to changing the attitude
towards the disabled has been effective. In the modern day, people have the chance to know
more about the disabled persons more than ever before. One of the signs that show that the
media is doing a recommendable work is the presence of a sign interpreter during the news
anchoring sessions (Fisher & Purcal, 2014). The presence of the sign language interpreters
shows that the media embraces the disabled persons and it has the intentions of reaching
them. At the same time, the initiatives by the media have changed the mentality of the
members of the society towards the disabled persons (Thompson et al. 2011). When there are
programs that embrace the disabled persons, the members of the society stop seeing the
disabled persons as people with no ability to do anything and start seeing them as people who
are abled but in a different way.
Conclusion
The media has been used as one of the tools to send an important message to the
members of the society. Airing programs that show the importance of treating the disabled
persons as equal members of the society has gone a long way in making sure that the attitude
of the citizens towards the disabled persons is changed from negative to positive.
Campaigning for the adoption of policies that embrace and appreciate the disabled persons is
also another milestone that has helped in changing the attitude of the members of public
towards the disabled persons.

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References
Australian Government. 2012. Report on the Review of Disability Standards for Education
2005, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Fisher, K., & Purcal, C., 2014. Policies to change attitudes to people with disabilities.
Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 161-174.
Kleeman, J., and Wilson, E., 2007. Seeing is believing : changing attitudes to disability : a
review of disability awareness programs in Victoria and ways to progress outcome
measurement for attitude change Scope VIC. Box Hill Vic.
Thompson, D., Fisher, P., Purcal, C., Deeming, C., & Sawrikar, P., 2011. Community
attitudes to people with disability: scoping project, Commonwealth of Australia, 1839-2334