Crystallization of Disability Stereotypes in Lithuanian Media

Abstract

A review of investigations of the phenomenon of disability and the disabled by mass-media, a theoretical conceptualization of the social construct of disability based on the analysis of research literature, and a survey of correlations of representativeness and the identity of the disabled are presented in the article. The Lithuanian press from 1995, 2003 and 2010 were chosen for investigation drawing on the daily newspaper ‘Lietuvos rytas’ and weekly ‘Bičiulystė’. With reference to the results of the empirical research, the stereotypes of the disabled, which became dominant in the Lithuanian press during the analyzed periods, are disclosed jointly with the comparative analysis, in order to reflect the differences of representativeness and representation of the persons with disability in the publications selected for this analysis. The stereotypes of the disabled, which were revealed during empirical investigation, reflect on the constructs of identity of the disabled as well as on image of disability as inherent to Lithuanian press.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.75.1.1594