University Assignment: Media Representation of Disability Analysis

This report critically analyzes the media representation of disability, using a YouTube clip from "The Big Bang Theory" as a case study. The report begins with an introduction to media's role in society and its impact on the perception of disability. It examines the language used in the video clip, identifyin...Read More

Running head: MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY
Media Representation of Disability.
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1Media Representation of Disability
Introduction
The medium through which information is carried out and communicated is known as
media. Media plays a very important role in our everyday life. It helps us making aware about
what is happening in the society and also all across the globe. The information shared in
media reaches out to a large area of population. The different forms of media are press;
magazines and newspapers, radio, television, cinematography or film, advertising and
internet. It will be very justifying to state that media plays an extremely significant role in
daily life of people and everyone consumes media to an extent level by any of its forms.
However, the impact of information shared in media not always tend to benefit the society
specifically in case of disability (Hughes, 2015.) Media has continuously seen to be
discriminate the disabled section of society and contributed to forming a biased opinion
among the people. It stereotypes the disabled people in a very limited way. In this report, the
representation of disability through media will be discussed by analyzing an episode
‘Howard’s quick survey on Stephen Hawking’s toy’ from a popular series ‘The Big Bang
Theory.’
Language in the video clip
The language used in the video clip is American English technically but there is other
form of language used as well. The language of gestures and perceptions an individual has
which reflects the beliefs and identity of an individual. It is shown through the toy made in
the video clip. When Howard says that people say offensive, hilarious and a great idea, it is
the language of the other people and their perception towards the Stephen Hawking’s remote
control toy. The toy was showing the former is sitting on a wheelchair and operating a laptop.
The toy was made as a tribute to one of the greatest scientists Sir Stephen Hawking but the
way it was shown on the episode was more about making a jest out of a person sitting on

2Media Representation of Disability
wheelchair. The gestures of Howard was more on the mocking side but the way his friends
reacted was a bit different (Tech, 2016.) The questions lies on showing disrespect or any sort
of agony towards that specific category (Rodan & Ellis, 2016.) Therefore, the entire thing
was presented in a hilarious way with a background music of laughter that overall denotes a
language of mockery that has been shown on the video towards disabled people. This sends
out a message to its viewers in the same manner it is shown that might be a misguidance, it is
also unethical towards the disabled community (Pinchevski & Peters, 2016.)
Representation of Disabled Person
The American people tend to show disabled people both in a negative and positive
way. The perception of representing the disabled people on media in a positive way leads to
an affirmation towards their identity of disability even after media gives a message that is
perceived as unrealistic. Whereas, on the other hand, the negative representation of media
leads to an identity of denial towards the people with disability. As per (Devotta et al. 2013)
the implications of media and how much the viewers are consuming it plays an important role
in shaping the belief system of its consumers. The media constitutes of a significant cultural
product which reproduces and reflects both prevailing attitudes and norms about disability of
people. A part of media representation shows disabled people as a victim to the society. The
people of society who do not belong to the specific community of disability show or act
offensively towards the later people which might turn into crime and make them victim in the
society. They are also ridiculed for their disability by various activities like way of talking,
way of behaving, hand movements, facial expressions and so on. In a way the representation
of media has shown them as an object of pity who are only capable of either sympathy of
mockery that is highly unethical. They are shown as an object of curiosity by the media in a
very discriminated way. Some organizations and disabled people draw an attention towards
the imagery of disability into the media and discrimination. For example, the toy in the

3Media Representation of Disability
YouTube video made Howard curios that puts an impact of curiosity for the disabled people
on audience. On the other hand, the media also represents them in a positive way that is
inspirational. The achievements of disabled people and their story is shown on the media that
again motivates and inspires a lot of people who might be disabled or not (Zhang & Haller,
2013.) Their journey on overcoming all the odds and being successful at respective points in
life sends out a very positive message to the audiences of media.
Assumptions about disabled people
Some of the underlying assumptions made by the people in the video clip towards
disability people are that they are an object of curiosity (Jones & Hardwood, 2009.) The way
Howard has shown or represented his new toy to his friend denotes that he is curious about
disabled people and uses their disability in a very jesting way. Another example would be
when Leonard was asked a question for Howard’s survey, he does not seem to be interested
and ignored the toy in a very mocking way. This might have send out a message that other
people of society who do not belong from the disabled community like Leonard is as ignorant
and least interested about the ethical perspective towards the disabled people and more
interested on their issue as a way of mockery (Ellecessor, 2017) Same goes on for the last
person to conduct a survey and his reaction. When he was asked what he thinks of the toy
then he not only reacted in a hilarious way but also in an offensive way deviating from the
topic and talking about women. This portrayed a very wrong message that is unethical for
both the topics in that scene. On the other hand, when the question for survey was asked to
Amy, she reacted in a very serious way and said it was inappropriate of Howard to do such a
thing. This also sends out a positive impact on media’s representation of disabled people at
the same time.

4Media Representation of Disability
Shaping viewpoints about disability
The video clip shows an unethical attitude towards disabled people mostly. The first
ignorant and jesting behavior was when Howard introduced the toy of Stephen Hawking
sitting on a wheelchair. The way he introduced puts out an impact that a person sitting on a
wheelchair is a funny thing. Meanwhile when he went out for conducting surveys, most of
the reactions he received was not only unethical but also inhuman behavior towards the
disabled people. People are either ignorant or assume the disable people to be an object of
joke or curiosity (Ellis & Goggin, 2015.)
Effect of Media’s representation on disabled people
The disabled people are looked as an object of victim or sympathy mostly because of
how the media represents them. They have to face a humiliation from the society and treated
as indifferent being on the society. It not only affects their own self-esteem but also makes
them very under confident. They have a big time problem of suffering from belongingness.
The society treats them indifferent in a negative way giving sympathy only to make them feel
worse about their situation (Ellis et al. 2018.) The content of the video clip reinforces in an
appropriate way and links with the above discussion by looking at the examples.
Conclusion
Thus, it has been analyzed from the above discussion that media plays an important in
shaping the belief system of other people in the society. The representation of disabled people
in media has shaped people in a way that they see disabled people as an object of curiosity
and victim. This not only affects the disabled people but also shapes the minds of people
consuming media in an unethical way majorly.

5Media Representation of Disability
References
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