Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media

by Beth A. Haller

Towson University journalism professor Beth A. Haller's 20 years of research into disability and mass media inform this one-of-a-kind collection on advertising, news, entertainment television, film and Internet new media. Ideal for disability studies students and researchers as well as disability activists. "[T]his textual analysis is a gem of clarity. . . . a welcome addition to disability studies literature in general, and in particular, to those who feel strongly about the necessity of educating students about responsible consuming, reporting and reviewing of disability issues in the news, and in culture at large. . . . "I like this book enormously, and would recommend it especially to those teaching in the fields of Disability or Media Studies. Its clarity makes it an ideal text for newcomers to the field, and the richness of its samples and methodologies render it equally valuable to those who have been in either field over many years, and who may be looking for a new way to think about the issues Haller examines with thoroughness and perspicacity." -- From the review by Celest Martin in Disability Studies Quarterly (Vol 31, No 2 (2011).

Genres: Disability, Disability Studies, Nonfiction, History, Essays, Social Justice

230 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this; although it is dated now (the research this book is based on is between 10 and 20 years old, in the world of media that makes this an ancient historical text) the issues facing disabled folks in the mainstream media remain almost exactly the same and this is a valuable book. Just today, i saw on fb that the New York Times is going to begin running a weekly essay series focusing on disability issues; the initial one, Becoming Disabled, is written by foundational disabilities scholar Rosemarie Garland Thomson, found here.

This is a concrete indication of substantial progress in mainstream representation that was almost inconceivable ten years ago, as this book indicates with its content analysis of the NYT and other major mainstream print media sources. My favorite chapter contrasted the disability movement "dissident" press with mainstream major print media in terms of content, style and substance; again, though dated, it was awesome to read about the journalistic endeavors of disabled people in response to the pervasive negative stereotyping and devaluation that are still quite common. Thomson's presence in the NYT as the agenda-setting US paper is significant in terms of the inroads disability cultural activism and decades of media dissidence has made on conservative mainstream (white, male, moneyed) media.

I do wish there was a similar book (or books) that was more recent; incorporating the massive amount of online cultural and media production that has fundamentally shifted disabled people's ability to present ourselves to the world in our own ways. Haller touches on this a bit, but it is the most dated part of the book--it was hilarious to read her musings as to whether Twitter would become a thing, for example, and read that Marlee Matlin was considered a highly popular Twitter user with 70,000 followers.

I recommend this book to folks who are interested in exploring the way media has historically shaped and presented the disability experience and therefore American culture at large; and while i have trouble imagining some younger students relating well to this book because of its lack of information about digital media, I still think this is a book that all communications majors and students of journalism should have to read. Recommended.

[Dr. Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my Disability in the Media class, and I absolutely loved it. Even though it is an academic book, the language used is very accessible for people who are not academics, and the book is also pretty short compared to other books required to read in schools, which makes it more appealing. This book put a lot of my feelings into words, and having the opportunity to read this, and for my peers to read this, was extremely reassuring and uplifting. Not only that, but I also really enjoyed just the experience of reading this book in a classroom setting and being able to discuss disability with people who weren't aware of much that goes on within my community.

[Emilybrooks89 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Haller wrote a series of fascinating essays and studies into different disability media representations. It was a great read, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about how people with disabilities are represented in newspapers, TV shows, films, and online sources.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

It was wonderful to finally find this book, one I’ve been searching for that focuses on research on media criticism of disability representation. It covers online blogs and websites, film, advertising, and journalism using specific qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluating stereotypes and authentic representation of disabled people. The story about Clint Eastwood and “Million Dollar Baby” and the assisted suicide debate were especially troubling.

[CATHERINE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of my course and would recommend it to anyone. Simply written, easy to understand with clear concepts. As a temporarily abled-bodied woman this is a fascinating read that helped to expand my limited world view. A must read for anyone.

[Kerry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful crash course in disability studies. As a young woman with a physical disability myself this book has taught me quite a lot about things I never knew.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so informative on the positive and negative representations of disability in mass media. Extremely valuable for people in disability studies or media studies.