Ben Mattlin of Adventures in Modern Life is looking for examples of media images of disability:
I’m looking for suggestions. Been working on a new piece for NPR about media images of disability–specifically, the way certain soft-news and reality TV programs portray people with disabilities as scientific oddities or “amazing but true” objects of medical curiosity–and I could really use your help.
You see, the examples I originally came up with were all from the Discovery Health channel, which ceased broadcasting at the end of the year. So I need new examples.
If you encounter any, please e-mail me pronto. The best way to reach me is at bmattlin@earthlink.net.
Hello:
I’m the Executive Direcgtor of the IMAGE Center for people with Disabilities in Baltimore Maryland. We’re collecting information from people with disabilities, like ourselves, who have techniques they use to help people become comfortable with their disabilities.
I’m hoping that you might help us by telling us your techniques and by spreading the word about this project.
It’s possible that some ice-breaker you use will be of value to someone else, or, it’s possible that what they do could be of use to you.
Just let us know. Some people raise questions about whether some technique or other is “apropriate.” That is, something like using self depricating humor. We understand there is controversy about some of these things but would prefer that everyone forget about that for a moment and just send along their methods of helping people become comfortable with disability.
We’ll collect everything and send it back out to the disability community. Our final goal is to develop this body of knowledge and use it with our students to help them master a series of techniques they are comfortable with when dealing with family members, friends or associates, and employers.
People can respond in one of two ways. Either send the information to me, Michael Bullis,
mbullis@imagemd.org or comment on our wall on our facebook page at
The Image Center for People with Disabilities.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Image-Center-for-People-with-Disabilities/131582240241653
If you’d like to send videos, that’s fine as well.
Thanks to everyone for your help.
Michael Bullis
The IMAGE Center,
Towson Maryland
410-982-6311