People with disabilities need more attentive media CAIRO: In a park one child approaches another to play with him. Immediately the mother of the first child grabs him and tells him not to talk with the second child anymore. When asked why she did that, the mother answered that she s afraid the second child would infect her son. With a look of shock on his face, the asker replies, But, mental disability is not contagious. This, however, is only a minor stereotype among many that have been left largely unaddressed by mainstream media. The mentioned anecdote was featured in a documentary prepared by independent producer, Media House. Other more common stereotypes include the usage of words like "retard and "handicapped or beliefs that people with special needs can t be integrated into society. For people with disabilities, media representation is either limited or distorted with stereotypes. While it seems that there is more awareness among media personal preventing them from spreading or enforcing damaging stereotypes, their role in providing information or offering fair representation remains more or less the same. Except for a few programs on state TV and appearances in movies every now and then, the media has played a very little role in raising awareness of relevant problems and concerns. Whether it is educating the public to accept the integration of people with disabilities into the society or providing useful information to their families, the media's role is noticeably limited. One program or two are not enough to show all the problems of people with disabilities, says TV present Hala Fahmy, whose work in introducing the problems of the disabled through the media has been commended by many. But independent entities are making significant progress in this regard, at least providing quality material to be displayed through several mediums. On its part Media House has produced a series of 12 films about people with disabilities, providing information about their conditions and how their families and communities have dealt with them, featuring their success stories and giving them an opportunity to express their thoughts directly to viewers. Media can be the tool for change, says Naguib Khozein, the manager of SETI, a subsidiary of Caritas Egypt that specializes in providing training for professionals working with disabilities. The name is short for Support, Education and Training for Inclusion. Without [media] we can t win our cause [which is to] change the culture of the society, he adds. SETI has many publications under its name providing information and services to people with disabilities and their surrounding communities. Besides books and booklets explaining the different disorders and disabilities, SETI has produced a directory with all the services available for people with disabilities in Great Cairo. Media can address misunderstandings, raise awareness and help parents and professionals with information, says Media House Managing Director Vimco Ester. For example, a TV program can reach a huge number of people. You are not just talking to them, you are in their living room, Ester explains. He also encourages people to take films on VHS and show them at different venues like hospital receptions for further proliferation of the educational material. This doesn t mean, however, that any type of media coverage is acceptable. It s easy to talk about people with disabilities, explains Ester, but if this is the only effort done then it is faulty. If the films only feature experts talking, then we are doing a lousy job, he adds. Ester stresses that people with disabilities need to get the chance to tell their own stories, [they] are unique individuals. He also notes the importance of showing their lives as ordinary people. During the press conference that Media House co-organized last week to discuss the media's role in raising awareness about people with disabilities, Nabil Ramzy, a SETI employee, talked about his experience in overcoming the challenges of his disability to earn a college degree in England and then come work in Egypt. Other similar success stories regarding integration were also highlighted during the event. Under the title Against the Grain, the Media House film series, created in collaboration with SETI, covers the integration of many people with disabilities in various fields. Some now attend regular, not special, schools and others have excelled in sports, music and acting. The films have been shown on Egyptian TV and satellite stations. Still, there is more to be done in all types of media. Journalist Omima El Hadidy says that the number of articles, news and features appearing in state-run newspapers Al Ahram and Al-Akhbar about people with disabilities went from 13 in 1997 to 550 last year. Yet, she sees that print media needs to cover more real life success stories of people with disabilities and their families and publicize these successful models. For more information: visit www.mediahouse.org or e-mail SETI at [email protected]
