Kontakt 2005, 7(1-2):111-114 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2005.021

Publicity of handicap in media and its difficuliesHealth and Social Sciences

Josef Slowík

ÚSP Mnichov u Mariánských Lázní

ZČU v Plzni, Pedagogická fakulta, katedra pedagogiky

The publicity of the life of people with handicap in media is shown to be a very controversial phenomenon. On the one hand, it is of benefit, since it makes the majority society familiarized with the situation of handicapped individuals and induces a certain social reaction. On the other hand, media can suggest a general concept of nearly smooth and professionally provided condition in taking care of handicapped people.
Thus, there is an actual danger of a general lowering of the empathy and also sensitivity to abnormal situations - i. e. not only to the health involvement, but also to the violence and breaking of moral rules. In the human society, there is a natural need of the diversity fascinating the humans; its denial means a denial of the personal identity of each individual.
In this ambivalent attitude of the society to handicapped people, just the media could be considerably helpful - not by bringing enormous body of data on the life of handicapped people, but by mediating invitations for direct meeting of handicapped people with people without involvements.

Keywords: publicity in media; handicap; integration; diversity; identity

Published: June 29, 2005  Show citation