Disability is not Inability

:: Disability engaging the media…

The other school believes disability should be empowerment and the normalized. Integration into social and economic mainstream with equal recognition of their identity. This school has not presented its case effectively and still seems to be shunned by the media due to its low economic strength apart from the US.

Yet both sides believe the media need to not only be aware of this but also put in place measures to effectively engage the community within a concrete monitoring environment that ensures inclusion without discrimination. This may be the thinking behind the inclusion of a disability organization in the proposed media regulatory body.

Considering our circumstances, representation in a statutory regulating authority should be the best way to which the media in a developing country like Kenya would present the best interests of the disability community. United Disabled people of Kenya (UDPK) was chosen as one of the board members in the Media Bill 2007 drafted by the Ministry of Information and Communication.

In the developed countries the media have built network structures which self regulate to ensure they are able to serve the disability clientele effectively. This is the case especially in the UK and EU in general. In developing countries like Kenya where the disability community is at the bottom of the poverty pit, media may not care to constructively engage unless within an inclusive regulatory framework.

The Media Council of Kenya code of conduct for example “In general, the media should avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to a person's race, tribe, clan, religion, sex or handicap. These details should be avoided unless they are crucial to the story”.

Private media and unfortunately capitalist government have not seen the sense in effectively empowering the disability community apart from reinforcing the principles of throwing pennies once a while. UDPK seating on that board would not change this tomorrow, but surely it would provide an opportunity for the media to be mainstreamed as equal citizens.

:: media perpetuating discrimination.

:: access at whatever cost.

:: disability engaging the media

:: disability and media regulation




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