A Non Governmental Organisation, The All-Rights Foundation (TAF Africa) has warned against media reportage that promote stereotyping of people with disability (PWDs), saying they are harmful and fuel discrimination.
The foundation stated this during a media engagement workshop held in Awka, with the theme, bridging media and disability community for inclusive electoral participation in Anambra.
The workshop which was funded by European Union (EU) had journalist, civil society organisation and various groups of people with disability in attendance, and was geared towards advocating for the rights of PWDs, especially to canvass for their rights in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.
One of the facilitators, the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, Mr Edetaen Ojo while speaking on the topic; framing the media narrative on disability said reports by journalists on people with disabilities, if not handled with professionalism can be harmful and also promote discrimination against PWDs.
He said: “Stereotype can be hard. Many stories about PWDs are not necessarily accurate. In fact, very often, they are not only inaccurate, they are false. Worse still is the fact that they cause real harm to the individuals affected as well as to society as a whole. These stereotypes are damaging.
“Such reports can dehumanize people with disability. Stereotyping can reduce the complexities of a person to a single story, and the people involved are defined by their inability.
“They perpetuate and enforce stigma, and can normalize the idea that disability is shameful, tragic, and abnormal. You must know that some people are not born with disability, but out of health challenges, age, accidents or others, they found themselves with it.”
The workshop urged journalists to ensure inclusive reporting for persons with disability, calling for their inclusion in opinions on subject matters where they have competence.
Ojo said: “People with disability are professionals, they are parents, they have expertise in several areas, so when you have stories you are working on, you can reach out to them. So if you’re doing stories on such topics, you can include their opinions.
“What must the media do differently? Avoid speaking about them without including them, use respectful language, follow guidelines for disability-inclusive terminology, avoiding outdated or offensive words,” he concluded.
