Seminar on Media and Disability Advocacy – Promotion of Positive Media Reporting on Persons with Disabilities

With the support of UNESCO, ILO and Handicap International, One Plus One Beijing Disabled Persons’ Cultural Development Center and Inclusion China jointly organize the seminar. Participants discuss and exchange how media and communication can contribute to restoring positive images of persons with disabilities through positive reporting, in order to promote disability rights and the inclusion of people with disabilities in the society.

Background

China has the largest community of women and men with disabilities in the world. While in recent years there have been significant improvements in their living conditions and social status, same as persons with disabilities around the world, they often suffer from discrimination, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty and social exclusion.

Since China ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, disability issues have received increasing attention from the public. Currently, thirty one Disabled Persons’ Federations (DPFs) at the provincial level, as well as more than three hundred DPFs in the prefecture level cities have staff members specialized in publicity. Besides, nearly six hundred thousand community-based disability committee members are also engaged in advocacy the community level. After 2008 Olympic Game and Special Olympic in Beijing, Meanwhile, coverage on disability issues by the mainstream media, as well as social media and “we-media”, also present a flourishing and diverse situation.

The media play an important role in influencing public opinion and attitudes. The choice of words, images and messages can determine perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. How women and men with disabilities are portrayed and the frequency with which they appear in the media has an enormous impact on how they are regarded in society.

While the research conducted by the ILO CO-Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, OPO Group for Disability, Handicap International in 2013 on content analysis on reports on disability issues in China's mainstream printing media from 2008 to 2012, shows that the rights and working capacity of persons with disabilities are still in short. How to achieve target of sustainable public attentions towards those topics? That report indicates that answer should be the sustainability of right advocacy by disabled persons’ organization (DPOs) and their collaboration with media. Except from certain journalists’ capability, many other factors influence the quality of the reports, such as nature of media, media’s producing procedures and its ideology. The shortcomings of journalist themselves should be kept in mind by the communication officers of DPOs. Shifting media’s ideology should be the main aim when those DPOs conduct media advocacy. This enable them constantly influence journalists and the whole society. More importantly, aims of DPOs should be to participate in the news producing process, jointly develop citizen journalism, and form balanced media reporting or equal flow of information.

Based on those context, on 7-8 June, with the support of UNESCO, ILO and Handicap International, One Plus One Beijing Disabled Persons’ Cultural Development Center and Inclusion China will co-organize the 2016 Seminar on Media and Disability Advocacy in Beijing. Journalists, media professionals and WeMedia practitioners are invited to participate in this Seminar. Participants will discuss and exchange how media and communication can contribute to restoring positive images of persons with disabilities through positive reporting, in order to promote disability rights and the inclusion of people with disabilities in the society. 

Purpose

This Media Seminar is intended for those media practitioners who want to increase and improve the portrayal of people with disabilities in the media. It aims to provide media practitioners a better understand on disability equality and inclusion issues. The Media Seminar will also build a platform for dialogues among governmental agencies, media professionals, disability researchers, advocators, persons with disabilities to foster exchange and understanding, and for all actors to jointly explore how to promote positive, inclusive images of persons with disabilities and stimulate a climate of non-discrimination and equal opportunity.

Participants

40 participants are expected to attend the Seminar including:
• 30 mainstream media practitioners
• 10 officials and researchers in disability issues