Media use to show the one side of the coin, as they show only one aspect and not the various facets of a disabled person’s life. On the one hand are the disabled who they want a better representation, on the other hand, the media, which are trapped in a false consciousness. Media are a product of society and they do not reflect right the world, they influence people’s lives using wrongly their power. But, they can educate and broaden the horizons of the audience playing simultaneously a central role to their information.
Today, the word "disabled" causes much debate, as Around 10 percent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability (United Nations Report). According to Oxford Dictionary disabled is someone who by disease, injury, or accident has limited movements, senses, or activities. Representations of the “Other” reflect the operations of power. For instance, disabled people are usually represented from a non - disabled perspective. The role of the media is crucial in this situation, as the representation of the disabled is limited and largely stereotypical.
Stuart Hall (2013) studied how stereotypes fix and limit the meaning and their influence on representation. He found that stereotypes are a bunch of ideas or images which are based on the limited knowledge of this group. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but the most important and perilous characteristic of them is that they can reinforce discrimination. Stereotypes play also an important role in the concept of representation. Barker (1997) media represent stereotypes even if they are inaccurate by their own way using various accuracy techniques in order to gain audience acceptance.
Martz (2001) states that there is no universal agreement regarding perfection. She explains that the concept of perfection is subjective and every person approaches it by his own way according to his cultural and social background. People look desperately to find perfection, but no one is perfect because according to her humans are multidimensional. So, if people bear in mind this true, then there would be no discrimination. In a world that is not perfect, we must not try desperately to find perfection.
