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‘Not Heroes, Not Objects of Pity’: Advocates Push for Balanced Disability Narratives
A workshop on disability-inclusive reporting urged the media to move beyond portraying people with disabilities as heroes or objects of pity. Nidhi Goyal of Rising Flame highlighted the importance of media sensitization in amplifying the voices of people with disabilities. The workshop was organized by the United Nations and other organizations.
The media tend to depict individuals with disabilities either as heroes or as objects of sympathy. We have to break free from these two. This was raised in a media sensitization workshop on disability-sensitive reporting on Monday.
What sensitivity must be used while reporting on individuals with disabilities? The workshop highlighted the importance of doing away with the stereotypes surrounding individuals with disabilities that emerge while conversing and, in some cases, even on screen. It was noted that the media has a huge influence on the way people perceive things and can cause social change.
United Nations in India, UN Women, and NGOs Rising Flame and International Purple Fest jointly organized this one-day workshop on disability-inclusive reporting at the United Nations House in Delhi. The workshop was jointly organized and attended by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities of the Government of India, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities of Goa, the United Nations in India, and UN Women.
