DSADEMC · The degree of social acceptance of the disabled sportsmen in Europe. Comparative analysis of the Paraolympics media coverage in the written press of Germany, England, Spain, Greece and France

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Project objective

During the last years a growing interest is observed in E.U in promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in the mass media. 2003 was declared as European Year of People with Disabilities, and one of the major outcome of this event was the European Declaration on Media & Disability which on article 23 emphasizes the need to improve disability portrayal and inclusion of disabled people in media. Several studies have shown that sport helps disabled people to disengage from the common social representations of disability and to progressively construct a positive social identity.Disabled people seem to be aware of that and during the last two decades, there has been an increase in the enrolment of disabled people within the framework of adapted physical activities. However evidence shows that sports events of disabled people are hardly represented in mass media, and when they are, disability is often associated with sentiments of pity, dependency and inability. Nowadays it is well known that mass media play an important role in the production and reproduction of social representations, the transmission of dominant cultural values and in the perpetuation of stereotypical images.Therefore, the present study aims to explore the degree of social acceptance of the disabled sportsmen in Europe as well as the nature of the social representations as depicted by the media coverage of the Paraolympic Games in the written press of Germany, England, Spain, Greece and France. In order to accomplish this overall purpose, a cross- cultural comparative approach will be followed and the collected data will be analysed under an interdisciplinary perspective. Quantitative and qualitative methods will be used in order to analyse textual (articles) and visual (photographs) information. The knowledge produced, will enable the actors that mark the integration policy to adopt communications actions oriented towards a destigmatization of disability through sport.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITé MONTPELLIER 1CoordinatorCity levelFrance

Links

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