Ableist contours of Down syndrome in Australia: Facebook attitudes towards existence and parenting of people with Down syndrome

Abstract

The emergence of online disability hate speech on social media platforms is the latest form of ableist expression. This was highlighted when an alarming amount of negative attitudinal responses emerged towards people with Down syndrome and their parents on the 60 Minutes Facebook platform to their segment ‘Does Australia really want to see the end of Down syndrome?’ This article analyses the varying contours of ableism within these responses. The responses could be categorised into three broad themes: the construction of Down syndrome as an economic burden on society and a drain on public resources; social attitudes to Down syndrome; and bias related to information provided by the medical profession to pregnant women with a high probability of a Down syndrome birth. These findings allowed us to interrogate what this means in terms of how Australians view difference associated with Down syndrome, and to consider the operationalisation of ableism within the Australian social landscape.

Super, social, medical: Person-first and identity-first representations of disabled people in Australian newspapers, 2000–2019

“…Researchers have identified deeply embedded ableist assumptions in contemporary Australian society (Johnson and West, 2021: 302), while the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is uncovering widespread and systemic discrimination and negative attitudes across individuals and institutions (Johnson and West, 2020). Recognising the important role of mass media for disability experience and associated audience ideas and beliefs (Ellis et al, 2020: 1–2), this article has presented an interdisciplinary study of disability in Australian newspapers, contributing to bringing together the fields of discourse analysis and Disability Studies (Grue, 2015: x).…”

Usefulness and barriers of adoption of social media for disability services: an empirical analysis

“…The lack of preparedness and care to meet the complex needs of disabled individuals results in rehabilitation initiatives that exclude the disabled individual’s experience (Chanda and Sekher, 2020; Sharma and Priya, 2020). As interactions cause problems, social media platforms fall short of caregivers’ and self-care support expectations (White and Forrester-Jones, 2020; Johnson and West, 2020; Molin et al , 2015). In addition to the digital divide, lack of accessible initiatives and cultural barriers, it decreases citizen engagement (Falco and Kleinhans, 2018).…”

“…Consequently, the motivation and deviant learning skills discussed in models of empowerment are largely disregarded (Dali, 2018;Reid-Cunningham and Fleming, 2009). Social media attitudes (Johnson and West, 2020) emphasise deficit models of disabilities, as opposed to the system model's increasing awareness of disability-identity (Barnartt, 1996;Reid-Cunningham and Fleming, 2009). Disability e-participation is inhibited by the fear of exposure and inappropriate content.…”

Social media and disaster management: influencing e-participation content on disabilities

“…Beyond the limitations of the accessible content, social media may exclude the protected characteristics by reinforcing ableism, trafficking, oppression and hate content (Johnson and West, 2020). Social insecurity, anxiety and lack of access to social media mash-up are a reality when it comes to the disability e-participation (De Beurs et al, 1999).…”

“…Social insecurity, anxiety and lack of access to social media mash-up are a reality when it comes to the disability e-participation (De Beurs et al, 1999). Scholars have reported that social media operationalizes ableism (Johnson and West, 2020). Thus, the internal and external elements influence disability e-participation.…”