Why are disabled people targeted and demonised in the media?

The session will delve into the disturbing trend of contemporary media rhetoric that unfairly scapegoats and vilifies disabled and neurodiverse people.

We’ll highlight historical contexts where similar patterns of discrimination have emerged, and explain how this climate of stigmatisation poses challenges for disabled graduates today.

In this session, we will

• Clarify the reasons behind the recent resurgence of media demonisation of disabled people.
• Introduce societal and cultural factors that contribute to this trend.
• Highlight historical instances where similar patterns of discrimination against disabled people have emerged.
• Enable participants to recognise recurrent themes, and explore what we can do to break the cycle.
• Introduce practical examples to provide an evidence base challenging the prevailing negative media narratives.

“We have never demanded our rights… Instead of demanding our rights, we went hat in hand asking for charity. We ought to have gone bayonet in hand demanding our rights.” – Viscount Castlerosse, a disabled veteran, writing in the Sunday Express, 1932 (Unite, December 2014)