Blog #5

     I believe that recognizing the Paralympics and other disability sports as legitimate, professional sporting events rather than branches of something else is one of the most important strategies to boost media coverage of these events. Athletes competing in the Paralympics train and prepare just as intensely as those competing in the Olympic Games. It is important to recognize how hard these athletes work. They can often go unnoticed simply because people may not know of the Paralympics, or they are just uninterested. An athlete is someone proficient in sports or physical exercise requiring strength and skill. This term refers to participants in both the Paralympic and Olympic Games. To bring more attention to these athletes and disabled sports in general, increasing the number of live events and promoting them is a great start. I recall seeing many advertisements for brands like Gatorade or Nike, featuring athletes to promote their products. Paralympic athletes and other disabled sportspeople should be included in these advertisements. This is a great way to promote the Paralympics and that specific athlete. This can open many doors for them as well. Viewers will begin to view disabled athletes as just another aspect of the sports world rather than as something distinct or "special" when media outlets devote genuine time and resources to covering them. 

    When it comes to the media portrayal of disabilities, there is definitely a change that needs to be made. The term “supercrip” is frequently used when it comes to stereotypical portrayals of disabilities. “Super Crips are disabled characters who triumph over their disability. At face value, this may seem like a positive stereotype …  But the Super Crip stereotype reinforces the idea that disability is something that must be overcome” (Heumann, 2019). Before learning the true definition of this word, I wouldn’t have thought it could have caused any harm to those who are disabled. Now, it is clear that this is a very back-handed term. Despite its good connotations, it can come out as condescending. On the flip side, the media sometimes portrays people with disabilities as unhappy or dependent. A prime example of this is in the movie Me Before You, where a woman becomes the caretaker and love interest of a man who is paralyzed in an accident. “The wealthy banker is portrayed as a bitter, miserable man because he has a disability - sending a message that people with disabilities are incapable of living happy and successful lives” (Hand in Hand, 2022). Just because someone has a disability does not mean that their life is over. Someone with a disability is still a person, and they deserve to be treated like one. In the end, it truly comes down to normalcy. It will feel less "different" when more people witness disabled athletes performing at high levels.





Nike's ad campaign praising Mo Farah's two Olympic gold medal wins.


Hand in Hand. (2022). Problematic Representation of People with Disabilities in the Media. Hand in Hand. https://www.handinhandqc.org/blog/problematic-representation-of-people-with-disabilities-in-the-media‌

Salinas, K., Hess, M., & Heumann, J. (2019). Changing the Face of Disability in Media Road Map for Inclusion. https://www.fordfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/judyheumann_report_2019_final.pdf‌

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