Your disability in the media — Scope | Disability forum
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Your disability in the media

Adrian_Scope
Adrian_Scope Posts: 10,821 Scope online community team
A father who has written two books about autism said he wanted to help his daughter's peers understand why she does some things differently. Jon Roberts based the main character on his daughter Kya who was diagnosed with autism when she was four. He gave Through The Eyes of Me to his daughter's school in Swansea to be read out during their assembly. After a positive reception, 47-year-old Jon approached publishers Graffeg - and is now planning his third book.

Source: BBC
Earlier this year, we gave away a copy of Through The Eyes of Us and were pleasantly surprised with how Autism was portrayed in Jon's books.
How do you find your disability or condition portrayed in the media? Do you feel it is accurate or done in a way that helps improve understanding?
Community Manager
Scope

Comments

  • dolfrog
    dolfrog Community member Posts: 441 Pioneering
      Hi @Adrian_Scope
    Unfortunately many so called UK researchers and so called medical professionals use the media to market their services and hide their ignorance regarding the complex nature of my disability Auditory Processing Disorder, of which there are 4 different types.

    Audiologists only want ot focus on one type . speech in noise, as they are able to market Frequency Modulation systems (FM systems) where a someone doing a presentation (teacher, lecturer etc, has a microphone, and a speaker id place in front of the individual who is listening. They ingore and even do not use the assessment and diagnostic tests for the other types of Auditory Processing Disorder.
    Psychologists are only interested in making money assessing and bogusly diagnosing a symptom of the temporal type of auditory Processing Disorder, the developmental dyslexia symptom which is also a symptom of visual processing disorders and attention disorders. Educational psychologists make a fortune out of assessing and diagnosing dyslexia and fail to refer individuals for an assessment for the underlying cognitive cause of their dyslexia symptom. And the dyslexia industry is all about marketing remedial program which most dyslexics are not cognitively able to use..  
    Speech and Language Therapists are in conflict with international research which has been identifying Auditory Processing Disorder and Specific Language Impairment (SLI) are one and the same thing. The USA professional body ASHA is deeply involved with marketing their new name for SLI, Developmental Language Disorder, along with many UK researchers trying to maintain their career funding. The brain having having problems processing sounds that the ears hear includes sound based communication - speech.
    So to try to overcome the marketing of ignorance by so called medical professionals I have to rely on using international research regarding my disability to help explain the issues and hopefully educate the ignorant medical professionals.  
  • April2018mom
    April2018mom Posts: 2,882 Disability Gamechanger
    I’ve read articles about spina bifida before. To raise awareness, bust myths etc I also do my bit. Every week I answer questions about my son. Do you have any books on spina bifida to give away or not? 

    How can I explain spina bifida to a two year old girl? I have no idea where to start. I have a useful NHS article on the condition bookmarked but I still am struggling with what to tell her. Obviously I won’t overwhelm her yet. How do I reassure her? Any tips will be greatly appreciated thank you. This has been on my mind recently. 

    This is why we still need awareness days etc. I think this is a great idea @Adrian_Scope
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,319 Disability Gamechanger
    @April2018mom having brought up 3 children myself and they are now all grown up with my eldest almost 25, i think 2 years old is far too young to explain anything to them. They just wouldn't understand,  they are still classed as toddlers. If it was me then i'd leave it until they are a little older.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • pollyanna1052
    pollyanna1052 Community member Posts: 2,032 Disability Gamechanger
    Just ensure that children know that not everybody can 1.walk...2. speak...3. hear etc. Children stare at me in my wheelchair as if they`ve never seen one.Maybe they haven`t, but parents should explain the possibility.
  • dolfrog
    dolfrog Community member Posts: 441 Pioneering
    edited October 2019
    Hi All.
    We are all different and some are  more different than others (there is no such thing as normal which is purely a statistical term) With regard to human brain development, we all develop our various sensory information  processing systems at different times and different rates between the ages of 2 to 7 years of age, which is why the leading global education systems begin formal education from the age of 7 years old. (unfortunately here in the UK our politicians and education professionals ignore international research regarding these issues).
    And even as we progress the human auditory system is not fully developed until the late teens / early 20s.
    So life is more about discovering how each individual is best able to understand, do things, and make progress. 

  • RainbowJo
    RainbowJo Community member Posts: 79 Courageous
    iv 2 main conditions and a load of others. 

    1. anti-phospholipid syndrome. isnt portrayed anywhere. its a semi rare condition but it should not be as its a killer if not monitored. 

    2. dissociative identity disorder is portrayed badly. there is always a killer personality wich is so not true. DID life in the media is drama and more drama. yet in reality its not. 

    not many registered blind people in films less its about being registered blind. 
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    That's interesting @RainbowJo, I also find that people who are blind in films are completely blind which just emphasises the stereotype!

    Also, just wanting disabled characters to be played by disabled actors seems like a big ask!
    Scope

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