1. www.ukdhm.org Richard Rieser UKDHM Coordinator rlrieser@gmail.com
NUT Disabled Teachers Conference Representation of Disabled People. Are We Making Progress in Moving Image Media?
Richard Rieser UKDHM Coordinator

2. Common Disability Stereotypes
Struggling to overcome their impairment or finding a cure;
Sinister or Evil/
An object of pity;
A passive victim/object of violence
An object of curiosity/freak show/atmosphere;
A figure of fun;
A burden;
Having a chip on his or her shoulder, aggressive avenger;
Triumphing over the tragedy of ’disability’;
Incapable of an adult/sexual relationship;
A prosthetic for a weak plot

3. Survey Position of Disabled People
2x more likely to be bullied at school
Spaz’, ‘spastic’, ‘retard’ or ‘mong’ are used by 85% year olds
79% face discriminated in employment
83% say coverage about benefits scroungers negatively affect attitudes
Half of disabled people think attitudes have worsened in the last few years. !

4. Body Beautiful
Western culture from Greek and Roman times, reinforced in Renaissance Europe, saw the "body beautiful" as an ideal. Those with physical or mental imperfections were seen to be receiving divine retribution, or expendable.

5. Disabled people as evil or sinners?

6. Laughable or the butt of jokes?

7. Disabled People as a Burden

9. Film Clips Quiz followed by film clips
For a much more detailed filmography and 34 clips go to

10. Films that challenged public attitudes to disabled people
1975
1946
1956
1986
2007
1988

11. Are Disabled Characters More Visible on TV and Film ?
Glee
Homeland Carrie
Bi Polar
Tony Soprano Anxiety
Doc Martin-haemaphobia intense dislike of blood / OCD
Detective OCD
Intouchables
Rust and Bone
The Bridge ,Saga Noreen
Aspergers
My Name is Khan Autism
The Sessions
Is this a new stereotype? The script prosthetic!

12. Are there more disabled actors playing disabled characters?
Kitty McKeever Emmerdale
R J Mitte Breaking Bad
Tyrone Game of Thrones( short Stature)
Paula Sage (learning difficulties) plays Roberta Brogan in Afterlife
Jack Binstead Bad Behaviour
Cast Offs Ch4 2015
Lisa Hammond- Eastenders
David Robert Hall
CSI
Liz Carr- Silent Witness
Pablo Pineda- Yo Tambien Me Too
(Downs Syndrome)

13. Old Stereotypes Persist - Evil
James Bond
Two Face
Phantom of the Opera

14. Do Old Stereotypes Persist- Laughable
Hear No Evil See No Evil
Dumb and Dumber
The Office
Kingpin
Little Britain
Tropic Thunder
Derek Ricky Gervais Ch 4

15. Disabled People A-Sexual Incapable of adult relationships
Rust and Bone
The Sessions
Hunchback of ND
Sixth Happiness
Theory of Everything
Every Time You Look At Me
Theory of Flight
Yo Tambien

16. Refrain from depicting us as objects of curiosity . Make us ordinary.
Our impairments should not be ridiculed or made the butt of jokes.
Avoid sensationalising us especially as victims or perpetrators of violence.
Refrain from endowing us with superhuman attributes.
The Way Forward 1995
Shun one-dimensional characterisations. Portray disabled people as having complex personalities.
Avoid depicting us as always receiving.
Avoid presenting physical and mental characteristics as determining personality.

17. The Way Forward 2
11. Show us as an ordinary part of life in all forms of representation.
12.Most importantly show us, portray us, cast us, train us and write us into scripts, develop our talent & programmes.
13.Quotas on Public Broadcasting[Currently 1.2% of all BBC output]
Avoid making our attitude the problem. Show the barriers we face that keep us from living full lives.
Avoid showing disabled people as non-sexual. Show us in loving relationships and expressing the same range of sexual needs and desires as non-disabled people.
Avoid as metaphor or propping up weak scripts