Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability
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Consultation has concluded
Help us change the narrative by commenting on our guidelines for portraying people with disability.
What's being decided?
When a person lives with disability, it does not completely or wholly define who they are. Disability is a natural and ordinary part of human diversity and people with disability live full lives with interests, desires and dreams – just like anyone living without disability.
Sadly though, what it means to live with disability is often misunderstood by the general public.
The media can play an important role in shifting the narrative. When it comes to reporting on and to people with disability, the media can make important choices that support meaningful change.
Have we got it right? Is there anything we have missed? Is there anything else we should consider?
Background
We have engaged with leading South Australian print, television and radio journalists, people with lived experience of disability and disability advocates to develop the Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability.
The guidelines contain tips on words to use or avoid when reporting about people with disability, advice on interviewing people with disability and pointers on creating and selecting accompanying images.
The guidelines challenge the ableist approach: a belief or set of beliefs and actions that either consciously or unconsciously discriminates against people with disability by devaluing their lives or assuming that having a disability makes a person inherently inferior.
We will consider your feedback to finalise the Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying peoplewith disability prior to its formal release to media representatives and on the Inclusive SA website.
Help us change the narrative by commenting on our guidelines for portraying people with disability.
What's being decided?
When a person lives with disability, it does not completely or wholly define who they are. Disability is a natural and ordinary part of human diversity and people with disability live full lives with interests, desires and dreams – just like anyone living without disability.
Sadly though, what it means to live with disability is often misunderstood by the general public.
The media can play an important role in shifting the narrative. When it comes to reporting on and to people with disability, the media can make important choices that support meaningful change.
Have we got it right? Is there anything we have missed? Is there anything else we should consider?
Background
We have engaged with leading South Australian print, television and radio journalists, people with lived experience of disability and disability advocates to develop the Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability.
The guidelines contain tips on words to use or avoid when reporting about people with disability, advice on interviewing people with disability and pointers on creating and selecting accompanying images.
The guidelines challenge the ableist approach: a belief or set of beliefs and actions that either consciously or unconsciously discriminates against people with disability by devaluing their lives or assuming that having a disability makes a person inherently inferior.
We will consider your feedback to finalise the Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying peoplewith disability prior to its formal release to media representatives and on the Inclusive SA website.
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Page 8 - Avoid referring to people with disability in an infantilising or childish manner. … and do not refer to anyone as having a “mental age of xxx years old” Page 10 - Do not use “non-verbal” – rather, “who uses sign/expression/AAC to communicate” Page 11/12 – the terms “neurodivergent” and “limb deficiency” (not everyone has had an amputation!) should be in here somewhere. Page 13 – this might be a good place to deter the trope language of “sss has achieved xxx, "despite" xxxx” Page 15 – in the "respect personal space" part include that no one should EVER push someone’s wheelchair, or grab an arm to guide them etc without asking or being requested. Good work! --Sam P
Sam Paior13
almost 3 years ago
These guidelines are great. I really want to see everyone who produces public content to use these guidelines, not just organisations we traditionally consider to be “media”. With the advent of social media, it’s a huge opportunity to increase representation of people with disabilities in a meaningful way.
7even
almost 3 years ago
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Lifecycle
Open
Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability has finished this stage
This consultation is open from Friday, 4 June 2021 to 5 pm, Friday 16 July 2021.
Closed and Under Review
Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability is currently at this stage
Contributions to this engagement is now closed for evaluation and review.
Final report
this is an upcoming stage for Report it Right: Guidelines for portraying people with disability
The final outcomes of the engagement are documented here.
Page 8 - Avoid referring to people with disability in an infantilising or childish manner.
… and do not refer to anyone as having a “mental age of xxx years old”
Page 10 - Do not use “non-verbal” – rather, “who uses sign/expression/AAC to communicate”
Page 11/12 – the terms “neurodivergent” and “limb deficiency” (not everyone has had an amputation!) should be in here somewhere.
Page 13 – this might be a good place to deter the trope language of “sss has achieved xxx, "despite" xxxx”
Page 15 – in the "respect personal space" part include that no one should EVER push someone’s wheelchair, or grab an arm to guide them etc without asking or being requested.
Good work!
--Sam P
These guidelines are great. I really want to see everyone who produces public content to use these guidelines, not just organisations we traditionally consider to be “media”. With the advent of social media, it’s a huge opportunity to increase representation of people with disabilities in a meaningful way.