Media and the Paralympics - Research Paper Example

MEDIA AND PARALYMPICS Introduction Due to the increased competition in the communication industry, and media to be precise, thorough research and coverage has been done to sports to increase specific media’s popularity. Paralympics are the sports that target the disabled. Disability is as a result of the existence of impairment in the physical body, the sensory system, and the mental condition of an individual. The impairmentslimit the average participation of the body system (Bernstein, Alina & Neil 2003, p. 145). However, the impairment becomes a disability where the social and physical are not sufficient enough to allow the full participation that are physically or mentally challenged. Paralympics games are usually carried out to show that disability is not inability. The media has significantly participated in airing these Olympic sports and much individual come to participate. It also boosts the self-esteem of the individuals because they have the ability to enjoy life just as any other person. The media has power in supporting and accommodating the disabled. Media is a way of creating awareness and raising alarm towards achieving a particular goal. As early as 1980s the famous Paralympic sports where the athletes and were available during the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games (Andrew 2008, p. 45). There was the invention of other sports like weightlifting, wheelchair basketball, swimming and wheelchair dancing. All these games are aimed at supporting the disabled and exploit their hidden talents. Social issues in disability sports Sports are important to one’s life and much more to people with disabilities. The percentage of people living with disabilities has been increasing in the recent years. Research shows that more people register for the Olympic sports every year, and this is healthy. The disabled are in three categories, the deaf, physical disability and intellectually disabled (David 2003, p. 123). Over the years, there have been social issues surrounding the disabled individuals. Accepting another person is different and can still be effective in the society was difficult, and most of them suffered discrimination and psychological torture. But the disabled are still human beings and have feelings and emotions just like any other person. Psychological factors The societal negative perception has been affecting the disable psychologically, and most of them have low self-esteem and lack self-reliance to face the world. It is because they can hardly carry out daily activities on their own and will depend majorly on another person. This aspect of over dependence discourages many people, and they tend to look down on them. But, impairment can only become a disability if there is no sufficient accommodation for the disabled to exploit their potentiality to do things (Maurice 2000, p. 48). Socially, the disabled are seen to be unproductive in the society and are a burden. It is not the case because they all have talents. Some have won in the Olympic sports and awarded considerably. Others like the deaf can become professionals in different fields like dress making, white collar jobs among others. This kind of discrimination is what makes them suffer psychologically and become less active in the society. Most of the impaired individuals have been left at the mercy of charity organizations and government funds. But this has to change, every member of the society should be ready to accept the differences and support each other towards making the disabled industrial. The social future of the Paralympic sports id to encourage the community to support and to build confidence in physically challenged people (Slater 1998, p. 161). It is because they will not be able to appear in the sports if already they have a low self-esteem. Confidence is what will make them come out and participate. Embracing them will motivate to participate in activities that will benefit the whole society. Material factors The material element is a challenge to the third world countries that are still developing. Most of the people in developing countries are living below the poverty line. Buying the equipment that the disabled need is a challenge and even the schools for their education are charging high school fees. The lack of finances and the materialistic things for the disables had contributed in neglecting the impaired (David & Deborah 2006, p. 89). Also, the equipment that they need for sports are expensive, and many countries do not afford because these needs compete with other needs in the country’s economy. Most of the time, the needs of the disabled are ignored, and they are never recognized. Finding a coach for them is a challenge. They need a teacher who has knowledge in a particular impairment. And when one is found they are expensive to maintain because the training for the sports or the education is usually difficult. The future of the disabled will be secured if the governments focus to help them by setting up schools that are well equipped and subsidize the school fee (Hunter 2011, p. 51). It will encourage the parents to take their children to school where they will be trainededucationally, and they will be able to participate in sports. Also, the Paralympic competitions should be introduced in all countries to support the disabled. Gender participation During the British Paralympic sports, of the total female who participated, 27.7% were the disabled and 40% were the non-disabled. Research shows that the female genders are less supported and have a low self-esteem to participate in these sports activities (Poulton 2009, p. 76). In the society, the male child is more supported and are more preferred to be educated that the gender. Therefore, there should be gender equality because both genders have potential and ability in them. More awareness should be made on gender equality and to support all the disabled. Political issues in disability sports Ludwig Guttmann is the pioneer and founder of the Paralympic Movement. He was a neurosurgeon, and he used games as a form of rehabilitating his patients to boost their strength. From this exercise, he became an activist for the Paralympic sports because it was helping the disabled patients (Longmore 2011, p. 15). Stoke Mandeville Games were the first sports for the impaired individuals in 1948. After this, there was a high demand for the international participation of the disabled in games and sports. The Canada, France, Australia and Israel were the leading governments that supported international Paralympics sports. The International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) was the first organization to support the Paralympics sports. In 1964, International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) was formed, and the scope of the disabled participation widened to cover for the amputations and cerebral palsy individuals. Ludwig Guttmann, who was a leader, brought the ISMWSF and ISOD together and introduced more games like football and badminton in 1970-1980 (Gilbert & Schantz 2008, p. 23). The presidents of the different organization met to discuss the issue towards supporting the Paralympic sports. This combination formed a committee known as the International Coordinating Committee (ICC). The committee began to organize and to negotiate for the disabled. The committee faced a lot of challenges when presenting the needs of the disabled because it was a new thing both politically and socially (Gallagher 2012, p. 622). But when the organization got political support, it led to the growth of other supportive organizations and more disabled people participated in the Olympics. The continuous support is helping to build confidence is the disabled and support them to exploit their abilities. It has given them hope for a bright future, and they have learned to appreciate who they are. Ethical issues in disability sports The disabled should not suffer discrimination. They have a right to feel accepted in the society and should be given opportunities to education and to participate in sports. Discrimination causes them to suffer psychologically because they feel they have been denied the sense of belonging to a particular group. The specialists should respect the differences and give them appropriate therapy that will help boost their strength. Harassment and discrimination are prohibited according the disability ethics (Cashman& Darcy 2008, p. 25). Historically, the disabled have faced unethical treatment because they are different and were not able to depend on themselves. The human right violation has been practiced too much on the side of the impaired individuals because their rights were ignored. Recently, through the media, their rights have been surfaced, and the discrimination is reducing. They need to be respected and allowed to participate fully in the daily activities (Raney & Bryant 2004, p. 47). There are penalties for the people who violate the rights of the disabled. Ethical issues surrounding the disabled individuals are featured in the framework of human rights regardless of the type of impairment under the UNESCO. Through the creation of awareness, the future will be of less or no discrimination towards the impaired. The supporting organization will continue organizing the Paralympic sports and the essential training. Also, the individuals from different countries will be allowed to participate internationally in the Paralympics Games. Social theory of disability Social theory of disability is contributed by how the society is usually organized. The organization restricts the potential and choices of the impaired, but when these societal barriers are eliminated, and then they will have equal chances as other people (Woods 2004, p. 66). For example, a person using a wheelchair cannot climb the staircase, but with a ramp well fitted in the building so that the disabled can move freely into the building. Medical theory of disability The medical theory shows that the individual is disabled because of the impairments in the physical, senses or mental distortion. It indicates the disability can be improved through treatment procedures and therapy (Cashman& Darcy 2008, p. 25). For example, an individual who is having a mental disability and is learning will need support financially to allow them to go to school according to the social model. But according to the medical model, the individual will be required to attend a communal home where the doctor will be able to offer continuous treatment. Hegemony theory It is the most powerful model that is expressed through ideologies and political norms that are created and made public through the media. These ideologies may be targeting even those who are not disabled, but the ideas make them impaired if they do not fit into the universally valid views (Raney & Bryant 2004, p. 50). This theory has led to increased number of the marginalized of groups just because they do not fit into the category of the trending ideologies. Media and disability sports The media is a cultural community through which the information reaches the public. The media has always participated in helping the disabled people to shape up their lives. Also, when the disability sports are made public, it can attract donors who can support these activities financially. However, the media has received critics from other people who feel that they portray the disabled people as weak people who only depend on external help(Andrew 2008, p. 62). These are some of the controversial issues surrounding the media and the world of the disabled. The media publicized the 2012 Paralympic Olympics in the television stations, radio stations and through newspaper publications. Adverse media impacts towards the disabled Even though the media has significantly positively influence the disabled community, it also has negatively affected them. According to the critical analysis, it has alleviated the rate of discrimination due to the reasons discussed in the following paragraphs. The media has participated in portraying the impairment using the medical model. They disabled were said to be unable to interact with others in ordinary life. This information increases the rate of discrimination because the average people are fed with ideas that are not encouraging them to interact with the disabled (Andrew 2008, p. 32). Also, the impaired are affected psychologically when they see how they are suffering, and it is being shown publicly. Their self-confidence is reduced, and they continue to suffer psychologically. The media is continually enforcing the stereotypes of disability in a negative way. The social media portrays the disabled as people who survive on pity and are marginalized. They are a burden to the society and need external help and funding so that they may be able to lead an ordinary life. They are unable to carry life activities on their own and entirely depend on a second or third party (Bernstein, Alina& Neil 2003, p. 145). The media has also showed that the impaired are unable to have opposite sex relationships. These stereotypes are negatively affecting the physically challenged people, and they continue living in despair with no expectation of ever living an average life. The language and images they use to represent the disabled community are not encouraging. They usually take photos of those individuals who are marginalized showing how the disabled people are helpless. Also the kind of vocabulary the media personnel referring to the disabled are not healthy. These negative vocabularies they use give the public the picture that they are sufferers and are helpless too. The media will rarely show the disabled individuals who have pursued careers and are now employed in companies or organizations. They do not focus on the impaired personnel who have made it live and are now economically stable in the society. They only focus on those who are suffering and unfortunate. It does not encourage the disabled because it does not give them hope of ever succeeding in life. If all they can read newspapers and see in the broadcasting station is a part of their society which is suffering, they are not helped. Also, the community will not embrace them because they see them as people who are suffering and are a burden on the society (David 2003, p. 123). If only the broadcasting would focus on the ability of the disabled other than the impairment, then there would be much improvement if the societal view in the physically challenged. It will likewise reduce the stigma that the disabled individuals are facing. Positive media impacts towards the disabled Through the tracking of sports activities, the media is impacting positively on the disabled society. According to research, 76% of the physically challenged say that they feel positive knowing that they can carry out sport and games in the UK society in the year 2012. The subsequent year, there were more participants as compared to the previous years because they felt encouraged by what the media portrayed. By broadcasting the Paralympics, it has attracted donors and charitable organizations that consider the importance of supporting the disabled. When the donors see the potential of the physically challenged, then they feel they should help and donate funds towards supporting more of the sports. It is healthy other than focusing on how the people are suffering and are in despair. The public is taught, and their weak mentality about the disabled is changed. They begin seeing the physically challenged as people who can bring fame and support in the society. It has helped reduce discrimination because they can do things that are entertaining (David 2003, p. 125). As the Paralympics are aired, the media bring to attention the schools that train different categories of the impaired people. They bring success stories from people who have made it despite their inability. It encourages others to join schools and regular training so that they can achieve their dreams and get employment or become entrepreneurs. In addition, when the politicians see that the disabled need more of the sports, they will direct finances towards supporting such activities and buying the equipment(Gallagher 2012, p. 622). Also, they employ more trainers to nurture the disabled so that they can realize their talents and exploit them. When the Paralympic Olympics gain political power, then it becomes easy to access funds from the government and improve their activities. The media has helped change the attitudes of people towards the physically challenged. When the disabled are participating in sports and are shown in the television, internet and newspapers, it gives people hope that disability is not inability. They encourage their own to participate in these activities, and they take them to school so that they can be trained. Most of the disabled are purposing to participate in the upcoming International Paralympic Olympics. Benefits of sports to the disabled It helps them to be physically fit and improve the strength of their body. The pioneer of the Paralympic discovered it through the type of therapy he was using. He used to allow the patients to participate in sports and games. He monitored how it positively impacted on their lives and thought of making the world know about it (Cashman& Darcy 2008, p. 10). It is through the media that many donors and supporters were able to gather and help the disabled. It helps to reduce their anxiety and upgrade their mood. Most of the time, they are usually dull when they are not physically involved. It is through the sports that they can boost their mood and reduce their anxiety. It also increases their self-esteem and become socially aware of their rights. These games have empowered many disabled individuals, and some have made it in careers (David 2003, p. 103). For example, the BBC station has employed a physically challenged person, and this has inspired many to pursue their dreams. Games are a form of therapy that boosts the physical strength of the individual. When they play, their body cells rejuvenate and help with medication. During sports, they will socialize with others and see that they are a large society that is encouraged and allowed to explore their abilities just like any other person. Future of the disabled sports There is the priority of increasing the funds and support towards the education sector of the disabled. Their equipment is expensive, and parents usually give up on their children because of the lack of finance to help their children. Therefore, more funds and support should be directed towards improving the schools and facilities to curb the social barriers in the society. More people are encouraged to take courses in further studies of the mental disorder and psychology. It is usually difficult to get trainers for the mentally handicapped individuals because there is less manpower (Gallagher 2012, p. 600). The disabled need an instructor who has been trained for a particular category so that they can prepare them effectively. Also, they will be able to understand their world better. Advisably, coming up with affordable technologies to encourage continuous accessibility of the disabled is worth. It is aimed towards supporting all the physically, mentally and sensory impaired. When the technology is affordable, many people will enrol in these services and help improve their lifestyles. The media should be highly encouraged to give a positive image about the impaired so that it can boost their self-esteem. They should focus on the ability of the individuals other than portraying the helplessness of the condition (David 2003, p. 125). The media should always aim at encouraging and supporting the disabled so that they can be accepted in the community. Create more opportunities for learning, working and participating in sports. Also make known to the public, they have rights to have equal opportunities as other people. Through this, all the physical challenged individuals will lead a healthy life free from discrimination. Bibliography ANDREW, B. (2008). Olympic media: Inside the biggest show on television. London, Routledge. BERNSTEIN, ALINA& NEIL, B. (2003).Sport, media culture: Global and local dimensions. London, Frank Cass. BRITTAIN, I. (2012). The Paralympics Games, London, Routledge. CASHMAN, R. & DARCY, s. (2008). Benchmark Games.Montreal, Book press. 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