Putting Disabled people at the heart of news stories about us

Freedom of the press is important in the UK. Our news outlets are powerful, shaping what the public believes and sees as acceptable, political decisions and influencing big companies and financial markets. 

But Disabled people are almost invisible in the press, and without our voices, harmful ideas take hold.

5 ways the press misunderstands Disabled people

In 2022, Disabled People’s Organisations commissioned Lancaster University to analyse almost 18,000 newspaper stories about Disabled people, to find out what the press thought about us. This is what they discovered.

1) It's all medical.

Disability as a medical issue: Stories often focus on curing impairment, rarely asking if Disabled people want curing, or if improving accessibility and inclusion might be preferable to invasive treatments.

2) We're inspiring

We’re an inspiration: Disabled people in the news are framed as inspirational superheroes, simply for living, doing a job or pursuing our dreams.

3) We're tragic

Tragedy: People who become Disabled are often shown as tragic, suffering, or struggling and being reliant upon social care. Being Disabled is a fact of life, and social care allows us to live more easily, but these stories depict both as a something that should be avoided at all costs.

4) We need rescuing

The rescuer: Stories about non-Disabled people who are climbing, running, or fundraising for Disabled people. The stories are well-meaning, but tinged with pity and show Disabled people as passive recipients of charitable care, rather than a community running our own services.

5) One brave person's call for Disabled rights

Disabled rights: Fantastic Disabled people challenging unfairness. Sadly, journalists often miss the bigger picture – the systems that need changing. Accessibility and equality are a still a work in progress in the UK, however far we’ve come.

Recently, even more troubling narratives have arisen, attempting to pick apart the Disabled community and pit us against one another. Our community has always been united (even when we disagree). Disabled people won the Equality Act, resisted PIP cuts, and prevented ticket office closures, just by coming together.

Together we are strong, but the reality of Disabled people’s busy and varied lives is being lost beneath other people’s assumptions.

The press story shapes the world

Journalist’s narratives spill off the page into the real world. They contribute to harassment and hate crime. They risk Disabled people not being seen as capable, pro-active, powerful, authentic, and passionate.

Disabled people must be quoted, listened to, and able to speak for ourselves, if this is to change.

That's why this September, Campaign for Disability Justice is training Disabled people to speak to the press, confidently sharing their views, and those of our community, with journalists.

If the media is going to tell stories about Disabled people, Disabled people must be at the heart of them.

If you are a journalist looking for Disabled spokespeople visit our press page 

To hear about future training opportunities to speak to the press join the campaign