Media & Disability

A woman stands next to two flags, signing.
Rorri Burton interpreting for Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in March. Credit L.A. County

Accurate, comprehensive coverage of disability issues and increasing the participation of disabled people in the production of news and information can help alleviate stigma and discrimination, as well as lead to better government policy.

Providing disabled people with trusted information in accessible formats gives them the tools to advocate for increased participation in employment and education; and can highlight issues such as domestic abuse and institutionalization. In building the capacity of individual reporters (including those with disabilities), media outlets and journalism networks to cover the perspectives and voices of persons with disabilities, our goal is to inform the public and policy-makers, promote greater accountability, and ignite conversations that change social norms and attitudes.

Events & Conferences

  • Disability & Journalism Forum: News UK is proud to launch Britain’s first-ever conference aimed at improving representation of disabled staff in newsrooms across the UK. On Wednesday, March 23 journalism diversity experts and leading disabled journalists will come together to discuss a variety of topics.

Guidance on disability reporting & terminology

Guidance on accessible media production

Organizations for disabled journalists

Disability & media in the news

People to follow

  • Jackie Njagi Lidubwi@jackielidubwi on Twitter – Changing the Disability Narrative in Media Across sub-Saharan Africa
  • Beth Haller@Mediadisdat on Twitter | Media dis&dat blog – a database of news and information about people with disabilities, disability issues and media topics

Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs)

When reporting on disability, it is imperative to consult with and interview people with disabilities who are directly affected by the issues you are covering. Here is a partial list of DPOs around the world.

Fact Sheets

Information and data to assist on reporting on specific issues:

Country Reports

Refugees