Study presentation: Inclusion & Media | Office of the Disability Advocate, 02/22/2023

Study presentation at the Zero Project Conference on February 21, 2023 in the Austrian Parliament

Vienna (OTS) –

Inclusion as a taboo marginal topic

According to Statistics Austria, more than 18 percent of people with a visible or invisible disability live in Austria. Although almost a fifth of the population is directly affected, inclusion and disability remain taboo marginal topics in public discourse. The media market research institute MediaAffairs published a comprehensive study on this 7 years ago. The current study, which was carried out together with the Ombudsman for the Disabled, Energie Steiermark, Sodexo Austria and Wiener Stadtwerke, shows that there have been positive developments in many media since then, but also that there are still many construction sites.

People with disabilities are about as little visible in the media as they were 7 years ago. When the media reports, then in half the cases it is about just two topics: the Paralympics or charity events. The latter in particular favor clichéd portrayals of people with disabilities as pitiable victims or petitioners. The everyday representation and participation of “ordinary” people with disabilities is also neglected. “This does not create an image of reality, but rather a distorted construction and partial reality that can stand in the way of inclusion,” study author Maria Pernegger is convinced. Social media shows that people with disabilities almost never present themselves in the victim role and instead appear self-confident and demanding. “This big difference between the outside view, which is still very clichéd in the media, on the one hand, and the self-portrayal of people with disabilities on the other hand, is clear evidence that the public image of people with disabilities is still distorted,” notes the study author. The study also shows that key issues such as inclusion in education or an inclusive labor market are still sideline issues. Also because inclusion is not pushed much by politics or in the economy. As the study finds, in times of the corona pandemic and other crises, the commitment of politicians in the context of inclusion decreased significantly.

More awareness-raising, greater commitment from business

But there are also positive developments: one of the biggest rising topics in public discourse is raising awareness. Projects and positive role models are increasingly being presented in daily newspapers and via social media, examples of how inclusion can succeed and why it is necessary. In addition, people with disabilities are given more scope for self-determination, including, for example, accessibility or personal assistance. More people with disabilities are also shown at work. There is an exciting development, especially on social media: “While donation events are still very popular and present in classic media, there is a counter-trend on social media,” says Pernegger. In the context of inclusion, companies, but also political actors, would achieve significantly more encouragement and interactions on the part of users for concrete actions to promote inclusion instead of charity postings. According to Pernegger, barrier-free services, job offers for people with disabilities or initiatives to raise awareness are rewarded much more and ultimately also contribute to positive employer branding.

The study shows that a quarter of the reporting still contradicts the UN Convention, for example because discriminatory words are used or clichéd staging takes place. But here, too, the development is positive: in 2015 and 2016, almost every second media report contained problematic aspects. However, there is a large difference in quality between different media. Tabloids fare significantly worse.

Study partner Disability Ombudsman:

“The present study shows how important it is for the media to portray people with disabilities in all areas of life. Only then can the goal of raising awareness in the sense of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities be met. I am convinced that the media will see their role even more as an opportunity to support an inclusive society Deputy Disability Attorney Elke Niederl.

Studienpartner Sodexo:

In addition Michael Freitag, Managing Director of study partner Sodexo Service Solutions Austria GmbH: “It is important that we have conversations about the strengths of people with disabilities, celebrate their achievements and promote inclusion. As an employer, at Sodexo we focus on the person and create the necessary space for them to develop their full potential. As a company we are aware of the responsibility that the visibility of people with disabilities reflects a large aspect of inclusion.”

Study partner Energy Styria:

“In its corporate development, Energie Steiermark pursues a holistic approach that focuses on the personality of each individual. We focus on the balance between individual self-realization, team spirit and professional development. The compatibility of work and family, new career paths for apprentices, health care as well as diversity and inclusion are simply part of it. In terms of overall equal opportunities, we are also supported by external partners in the further development of our inclusion strategy,” says the person responsible for the area Board member Martin Graf.

Study partner Wiener Stadtwerke:

“The media set the social discourse significantly and are opinion-forming. They create images of society and can thus create inclusion, or even block it. With the study, we want to contribute to creating awareness and bringing about change,” said the deputy Director General of Wiener Stadtwerke, Peter Weinelt.

“For inclusion to succeed at a higher level, we need a media landscape that does not portray people with disabilities as exotic heroes or pitiful victims, but as what they are, namely normal people and customers who expect a decent offer” , like that Hans Jürgen Gross, Group representative for accessibility at the Wiener Stadtwerke.

According to Pernegger, a paradigm shift will not succeed without the media. However, these are only “a part in a mosaic of many stones”. “Inclusion is not a sure-fire success just because a legal framework has been created for it. It requires an interaction of society as a whole, in which, in addition to politics, the media and civil society, above all companies also play a key role. In positive cases, the latter can be powerful game changers and role models,” says Pernegger.

Questions:

Study author’s MediaAffairs Mag.a Maria Pernegger
Managing Director Media Affairs
[phone]
[email protected]

Disability Advocacy
Mag.a Magdalena Hahn, MA
Office of the Advocate for Equal Opportunities
for people with disabilities
Tel: [phone]
[email protected]

Mag. (FH) Urs Harnik-Lauris
Energie Steiermark AG

Head of Corporate Communications
[phone]
[phone]
urs.harnik-lauris(at)e-steiermark.com

Sodexo Service Solutions Austria GmbH
Mag.a Elisabeth Dock
Head of Brand & Communications
[phone]
[email protected]

Wiener Stadtwerke GmbH
David Millmann, BA
press secretary
[phone]
[email protected]

Questions & contact:

Mag.a Magdalena Hahn, MA
Office of the Advocate for Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
[phone]
[e-mail]