Media and Disability Interest Group
The Disabled and Promoting Census 2000: A Key Target or Lost in the Crowd? • Louella Benson-Garcia, Pepperdine • A successful Census 2000 could raise the number of disabled counted from 20 percent of the population to 25 percent or more. This study aimed to determine to what extent, if any, did the United States Bureau of the Census targeted the disabled population in its media relations efforts for Census 2000. None of the 136 press releases, 29 media advisories, 10 webcasts, or six public service announcements — and only one of the 25 fact sheets — referred to the disabled.
Hoddle’s Twaddle: Defining Disability through British Sports Coverage • Beth Haller, Towson and Sue Ralph, University of Manchester • In this study of British news media, we undertook a qualitative assessment of the discourse surrounding negative comments about disabled people made by the English national soccer coach in 1999. These comments by Coach Glenn Hoddle led to a five-day media frenzy and his subsequent resignation as national soccer coach. This analysis investigates the news narratives about disabled people that arise in British society when these narratives intersect with the British national sport, soccer.
Missing in Action? Images of Disability in Sports Illustrated for Kids • Marie Hardin, Florida Southern College, Brent Hardin and Susan Lynn, Florida State and Kristi Walsdorf, Valdosta State • ABSTRACT NOT AVAILABLE.
Technology and the Knowledge Gap: Two Barriers to Distance Education for the Person with a Disability • Jeffrey A. John, Wright State • This paper discusses two accessibility problems for the student with a disability in utilizing distance education: First, technical problems related to course design create barriers or negate assistive technology used by persons with disabilities. Second, problems related to the social environment from which the student with a disability encounters distance education programs create a social barrier. This paper argues that access to distance education programs will be in fact more affected by issues of social rights than by issues of technical access, and that the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis offers a framework for analysis of this issue.
Expanding Journalism Students” Notions of “Diversity”: Inclusion of Disability Issues in News Reporting Textbooks • Ann E. Preston, Quincy and Marie Hardin Florida Southern • This exploratory content analysis seeks to discover where and how disability issues are addressed in top selling reporting textbooks. These texts devote less than a tenth of their length to instruction on covering multiple cultures. Only half of the books included people with disabilities within their units on multicultural reporting and writing. Two texts offered fairly comprehensive advice on multicultural coverage consistent with guidelines developed by or with disability advocates.