Reframing Impairment? Continuity and Change in Media Representations of Disability Through the Paralympic Games

Watching disability: UK audience perceptions of the Paralympics, equality and social change

“…Studies investigating this area (e.g. Beacom et al, 2016; Bruce, 2014; Pappous et al, 2011; Purdue and Howe, 2013; Silva and Howe, 2012) have pointed to the reinforcement of often medicalised, individualised and heroic portrayals of disability. In particular, coverage has been critiqued for its framing of para-athletes as ‘supercrips’ (Silva and Howe, 2012); a disability stereotype, grounded in a discourse of ableism, where achievements by disabled people are seen as especially heroic in a culture privileging able-bodied norms of success and where disability is viewed as a culturally devalued body politic (Kama, 2004).…”

“…Empirical studies of the supercrip and disability hierarchies have largely been conducted through analyses of news and Paralympic promotional materials (e.g. Beacom et al, 2016; Bruce, 2014; Pappous et al, 2011; Purdue and Howe, 2013). Despite being important platforms, sporting mega events continue to be dominantly consumed through televised live coverage; a medium with distinct organisational production practices, logics and media content.…”

Design and Disability. Developing New Opportunities for the Design Curriculum

“…Despite the gains made by disability rights activists the medical model and personal tragedy model still permeate the public imagination (Ellis and Goggin, 2015). According to this view disability is located firmly in the individual's own body and individuals are either represented in terms of dependency and care needs or as celebratory examples of individual success in the face of adversity (Beacom, et al, 2016). While critical theory within disability studies has moved beyond the medical versus social model debate to take in a wider set of postmodern theories (Boys, 2014), we argue in this paper that design students should be given a thorough grounding in the social model of disability as a transformative means to counter the pervasiveness of the medical and personal tragedy models or common-sense understandings of disability.…”

The impact of exposure to media coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games on mixed physical ability interactions

“…In addition to 150 hr of live Paralympic event coverage in the United Kingdom (Beacom, French, & Kendall, 2016), a dedicated feature ("The Last Leg") hosted by physically disabled and nondisabled presenters contained sports highlights and athlete interviews (Giuffre, 2014). Studies of the 2012 Paralympic Games, including a systematic review (Rees, Robinson, & Shields, 2017), suggested that its media coverage focused extensively on the success and ability of athletes, albeit sometimes using a "supercrip" lens (Beacom et al, 2016).…”

“…In addition to 150 hr of live Paralympic event coverage in the United Kingdom (Beacom, French, & Kendall, 2016), a dedicated feature ("The Last Leg") hosted by physically disabled and nondisabled presenters contained sports highlights and athlete interviews (Giuffre, 2014). Studies of the 2012 Paralympic Games, including a systematic review (Rees, Robinson, & Shields, 2017), suggested that its media coverage focused extensively on the success and ability of athletes, albeit sometimes using a "supercrip" lens (Beacom et al, 2016). This lens refers to the practice of depicting athletes as overcoming adversity to achieve success (e.g., by presenting the back stories of athletes with acquired impairment; Silva & Howe, 2012), thereby instilling viewers with prescriptive expectations regarding what all disabled people can achieve (Berger, 2008).…”