Lloyd Page

Representing people with a learning disability in the media -

Things are changing but slowly.
As the first person with a learning disability to have joined the National Union of
Journalists I am delighted to be writing this article for British Journalism Review
and delighted to be taken seriously as a journalist. In researching this article, I
asked Alison Peebles, actress and director of the film Afterlife, why she thinks it
is important for people with a learning disability to be represented in the media.
She answered that people with learning disabilities are part of society and the
media should reflect that. I agree with Alison and I think people with a learning
disability are under-represented and misrepresented in the media industry.
People with a learning disability are excluded from many parts of the media. I
don't see people with a learning disability reading the news. I don't see people
with a learning disability on soaps or games shows. If I see people with a
learning disability it is often as negative stereotypes such as mentally
handicapped and mongols, but I would like to see people with a learning
disability in a positive light. I'd like to see people with a learning disability
represented in the same way as everybody else.

The name's Page...
Let me tell you a little about what I've done in my work in the media over the
years. I have been a personal assistant and researcher to Donal MacIntyre for
over four years and I have worked at the BBC and several other production
companies during that time. I have also recently been a researcher on a channel
five documentary on abuse in care homes which was reported by Donal
MacIntyre.

"I was introduced to Lloyd Page my assistant at Mencap conference. Lloyd is 45,
has learning disabilities but he is probably the most efficient assistant I could
ever have. He is brilliant at remembering things and the most reliable assistant I
have ever had. He fully deserved the on screen credit he received on one of my
channel five care home investigations. Lloyd is breaking down barriers all the
time." Donal MacIntyre1

I write and lecture on learning disability in the UK and Europe and was the
European Vice-President of Inclusion Europe for three years. Occasionally I
have my own column with the Worcestershire Weekender.
I volunteer for the UK learning disability charity, Mencap and my work includes
writing as the political correspondent for their celebrity BIZ magazine. At
Learning Difficulties Media, which promotes and supports people with a learning
disability in the media, I am a media consultant researching and looking for
publications and websites. I have been nominated for an award for volunteer of
the year in 2005.

Laying the groundwork...
I came to do the survey on how people with a learning disability are represented
in the media when I was asked to do some research by Donal MacIntyre. During
the second half of 2004 I posted out surveys to people who work in the media. I
gave out copies to people that I did and didn't know. I came up with the
questions myself and received fifty-five replies.
The aim was to find out how people with learning disabilities are represented in
the British media. I wanted to find out what people thought about disability in
general and the representation of learning disabilities especially.
I found that 96% said the current level of representation of people with
disabilities in the media is not sufficient. I was surprised that such a high
percentage thought that representation was not enough. When it came to
representation of people with a learning disability, 90% said the current level of
representation is not sufficient. I thought less people would think this - it was an
encouraging result.

The above statistics were supported by 70% saying they couldn't name one
person with a learning disability who is a positive role model on television or
radio.
85% of the media professionals questioned thought broadcasters have a
responsibility to better represent people with a learning disability in the media.
This was an interesting question and I decided to take this further by asking
more broadcasters and journalists for their views on this subject.

The turning point...
In the original survey 86% thought that there aren't enough programmes aired
specifically for people with a learning disability. I personally feel there should be
some programmes made specifically for people with a learning disability but
more importantly mainstream programmes should be inclusive.
I spoke to Alison Peebles again. Afterlife, starred the actress Paula Sage who
has Down's syndrome. I asked Alison if she thinks that there should be special
programmes for people with a learning disability or should people with a learning
disability be integrated into mainstream programmes.
She told me, "I'd love to see people with learning disabilities and physical
disabilities in all kind of programmes; dramas, soaps, comedies and gameshows,
I don't think they should be ghetto-ised."

The bad...
So I wrote to Endemol pointing out that there are no participants selected to
appear on the Big Brother show with a learning disability. I asked them to let me
know if there is an official policy on this. So far, I haven't heard from them. I'm
also waiting for the BBC press office's response as to why there is no one with a
learning disability in The Weakest Link or Eastenders. I look forward to their
reply.
By not seeing people with a learning disability in mainstream television and in
newspapers and magazines regularly, audiences will think of people with a
learning disability as stereotypes, such as retards and spastics. This is not fair or
accurate to people like myself.

The good...
I asked Marion Janner of Learning Difficulties Media about the possible reasons
why people with a learning disability are not represented in the media.
She told me, "You can not generalise all media as one and the same. In terms of
news, this is very specific. Main news stories centre on controversy and debates,
and having a learning disability alone, does not equate to a news story. However,
premature babies who are severely disabled opens up a wider debate which
then becomes a news story. Having said this, regional newspapers do offer
surprisingly good coverage. The best are the articles about people's sports
successes."

"In terms of dramas and stories there is very little inclusion of disabled people. A
television company did some research and one of the programme makers said
there was a general nervousness about doing the wrong thing in portraying
minority groups and so not involving them is a lot easier."

"I think a good way forward is to help the media in the way they want to be
helped. So rather than giving them a long list of do's and don'ts, they tend to
prefer to have firstly, access to great stories and secondly, access to great
contacts, like Bafta winning actress Paula Sage."

"We established Learning Difficulties Media out of Mental Health Media. Mental
Health Media has been doing work with people with learning disabilities for some
years. It wanted to separate its mental health and learning disability work. Also, it
wanted to have a sharper focus on its learning disability work. We work to help
people with learning difficulties make better use of the media as: consumers,
creators, contributors and in terms of content."

I am encouraged by the work of Marion and her thoughts. Changes are
happening slowly. Print media is also beginning to recognise this change.
I believe there are a few examples of good practice in the national media such
as recent articles in Press Gazette2, Evening Standard3 and The Guardian4. I
have picked these three examples because they have all portrayed me and
people with a learning disability in a positive light. I picked The Guardian
because there was an accessible summary. By being accessible The Guardian
could reach more people and include people with a learning disability into its
readership.

The not quite so ugly...
Another area of good practice seems to be in films. Afterlife is a definite
example.
Christopher Eccleston came to public attention starring as Derek Bentley in the
film Let Him Have It, in 1991. This was his first film about learning disability
issues. Flesh and Blood, his second, is a story about a man discovering that his
real parents have learning disabilities. Like Afterlife, this film starred real learning
disabled people, Dorothy and Peter.

Christopher Eccleston said of Flesh and Blood, "I was attracted by the idea of
working with non-actors who were learning new skills. This was the case with
Dorothy Cockin and Peter Kirby who play Joe's mum and dad in the piece. I
thought it was an admirable impulse on the part of Pete Bowker [writer] to want
to include people who are so often excluded. It was not just an acting job for me.
I had other responsibilities. Along with Julian Farino, the director, I had to help to
coax the performances and I really enjoyed that extra responsibility."5
When I asked Donal MacIntrye about other people with learning disabilities
getting into the media, he said the media is "very poor and restricted but there
are notable exceptions like Paula Sage and Peter and Dorothy from Flesh and
Blood. There are little or no opportunities in traditional media. There is no reason
why there shouldn't be a learning disabled assistant working in every newspaper
2 ‘Give jobs to autistic' plea to employers (Press Gazette, 24 June 2005)
3 Me and My Charity (Evening Standard, 16 May 2005)
4 The Fight for Rights (The Guardian, 22 June 2005)
5 Drama Interviews (www.bbc.co.uk/drama/interview_christopher_eccleston1.shtml)
in the country. My journalistic team are learning disability aware, there is no
excuse."

Donal continued to say, "My ambition is to create a movement in the media for
open access to employment opportunities for the learning disabled. In order to
increase awareness amongst trainee journalists I have started a film competition
on issues to the learning disabled with a cash prize of a thousand pounds for
students in Middlesex. This I think will encourage people to engage with the
issues and they have the cash and prestige incentive to do so."

The Final take...
Kati Whitaker, award-winning broadcast journalist, news presenter and reporter,
worked on Radio 4's live programme Does he take sugar? This programme
offered people with a learning disability the opportunity to have their voices and
views heard about issues in the world around them. Sadly this programme
finished in the late 90's.

Kati recently ran a media training course for Mencap's spokespeople with a
learning disability. I attended the course. Kati said, "Throughout my work over
twenty odd years with the BBC, I have been acutely conscious of the lack of
representation of people with learning difficulties in the media."
"In the ten years or so that I presented the Radio 4 disabilities programme Does
He take Sugar I had some fantastically lively and impressive people with learning
disabilities as guests on the programme .Their contribution was always telling
and apt and yet they often complained that they were rarely heard on
mainstream programming. Things are now changing but still very slowly. It's
absolutely vital that people with learning difficulties are given all the help they
can to present themselves in a way that will encourage the media to invite them
to participate."

4. Conclusion

I know that people with a learning disability can be positive images to television
companies, newspapers and a wide range of audiences. I felt there was some
positive feedback from Christopher Eccleston, Alison Peebles, Donal MacIntyre,
Marion Janner and Kati Whitaker, but as individuals they can not speak on
behalf of the whole media industry. Things are starting to change though and
inclusive media is definitely the way forward.

There is some progress being made in print media and in film but not in enough
is being done in mainstream television. This is a shame because mainstream
television is the most accessible and often influential media type to the public.
Society is lacking in knowledge because of this, and this is degrading to people
with a learning disability.

I would like to see everyone getting together at a conference or a meeting to
thrash these problems out to result in people with a learning disability being seen
working in television and appearing on programmes such as dramas, fame
shows and soaps.