Article

The portrayal of disabled people in the media can influence the public's
perception of disability in both positive and negative ways. In this article, an
experimental before and after design is used to determine the effects of a short
film on the attitudes of non-disabled and disabled persons concerning employment
and productivity of persons with disabilities. METHOD: Three questions were posed
to 480 study participants prior to and following a short film featuring a police
officer with paraplegia. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of
time point and disability status on the responses. RESULTS: The non-disabled
participants' ratings of eligibility for employment of a paraplegic man and
estimates of the employment rate of disabled people were significantly enhanced
following the film. Nevertheless, the film had no significant effects on the
ratings given by participants with disabilities in terms of eligibility,
employment rate or productivity. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation highlights the
potentially important influence of media portrayal and coverage of people with
disabilities on attitudes of the public concerning disability. IMPLICATIONS FOR
REHABILITATION: Restrictions in participation may result from an interaction of
persons with impairments with an environment that is dominated by negative
attitudes towards disability The portrayal of disabled people in the media can
influence the public's attitudes towards disability in both positive and negative
ways In this experimental study, attitudes of the general public were
significantly improved following viewing a short film featuring a positive media
portrayal of a police officer with paraplegia.

Langue : ANGLAIS