How To

Our blog features up-to-date information, opinions and commentary on media portrayal of people with disability, the Foundation and related issues. If you need help on how to include people with disability in any way, our Attitude Foundation guidelines for content writers are a good starting point.

Production companies

We are developing a guide for production companies which will set out the things to think about when creating inclusive production environments for the people behind and in front of the camera. The fact sheet will address accessibility and inclusive language as well as messaging and framing when creating fictional or factual film, television or web content. The guidelines are informed by the production and evaluation of our own documentary series, Perspective Shift.

Journalists

Project Open Doors was a program run by Griffith University in Queensland in 2018 that explored the representation of people with disability in journalism.
Media Diversity Australia is an organisation working toward increasing diversity in Australian media, including disability.

Brands

Starting with Julius is a great Australian organisation working toward the better and increased representation of people with disability in advertising and foundered by one of our directors Catia Malaquias. Starting With Julius collaborates with Target and Kmart Australia.
CoorDown is an Italian organisation for the inclusion of people with Down Syndrome in society. Every year, for World Down Syndrome Day, they partner with marketing and production agencies to create a disruptive campaign like this 2012 campaign where they reworked TV commercials featuring people with Down syndrome.

Television

BBC major study Disabling Prejudice from 2003 showed that some genres, such as gardening, cooking, quiz and DIY shows have very few people with disability appearing.
2017 UK panel discussion hosted by the Royal Television Society Where Have All the Disabled People Gone?
Screen Australia research showing 4% of characters in Australian drama have a visible disability
Annual US research looking at diversity on TV including people with disability
From Alison Wilde’s 2007 study of disability in UK soap operas that disabled characters tend to act as a counterpoint and reference point for normal characters and that disability is usually involved in a melodramatic way that emphasises difference.

The UK’s Creative Diversity Network (CDN) champions increased diversity, including people with disability, on TV and other media.
Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network an Australian version of CDN launched in August 2017.
A report from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School highlighting the need for diversity, especially in the production industry.

Film

TV Series

Australian award-winning young filmmaker, Amy Marks’ film about disability identity and the stereotyped representation of people with disability as being either tragic or inspirational.
20 years, 20 stories – a series of stories about people with disability commissioned by the Australian Human Rights Commission for the 20^th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act.