New labels, new roles? Changes in portraying disabled people in the Polish press

Abstract

Changes in the perception of disabled people and the shift towards the social model of disability should also be reflected in the media debate. On the one hand, media expose the dominant social attitudes towards disabled people, on the other hand, they play an important role in shaping public opinion, influencing ways of thinking and talking about disability. The aim of the paper is to examine the extent to which the term osoba z niepełnosprawnością (person with a disability), which is seen in Poland as being connected to the social model of disability and the ideals of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is used by the media and whether this is accompanied by changes in the presentation of social roles performed by disabled people. The analysis encompasses articles published in the selected Polish opinion-forming weekly magazines after ratifying the Convention (2012). The study shows that although the term osoba z niepełnosprawnością is gradually gaining popularity, this is not related to the way disabled people and their social roles are presented.