Is your broadcast accessible? Are you using an outdated term in your article? In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, NBCU Academy has rounded up resources to help journalists improve their reporting on disabilities.
1. Understanding Disability Pride
Not all disabilities are visible, and not all are physical. Learn about the significance of the American Disabilities Act.
2. Disability Isn’t a Bad Word
How should reporters cover stories involving people with disabilities? Josephine Bila, an advisor on disability inclusion for NBCUniversal, explains what and what not to do.
3. One in Four Americans Has a Disability. Why Are They Still Underrepresented in News?
People with disabilities have long been ignored by the media or reduced to stories that evoke pity. Here’s how journalists can improve their coverage.
4. A Disability Is Not Someone’s Whole Story
Learn how to report on people with disabilities with grace, respect and humility.
5. Improving News Accessibility
Learn how news can be accessible to people with disabilities, from Lori Samuels, accessibility director at NBCUniversal.
6. Know Your Beat: Being a Health Reporter
Health news and medical breakthroughs are vital information for the public. Learn how NBC News reporters stay on top of the medical beat.
7. ‘Crazy,’ ‘Unhinged’ and Other Stigmatizing Words Journalists Should Avoid
Here’s how journalists can more responsibly report on mental health.
8. ‘Cakewalk,’ ‘No Can Do,’ and Other Harmful Language We Must Stop Using
Here’s another resource for choosing words wisely and not perpetuating stereotypes.
9. Why Intersectional Reporting Can’t Ignore People of Color With Disabilities
There isn’t only a “race issue,” “disability issue” or “LGBTQ+ issue.” All types of discrimination are influenced by one another, and journalists need to treat them as such.
10. Filmmaker Reimagines How Disability Is Viewed Onscreen
Reid Davenport, a NBCU Academy Original Voices Fellow, says his film “chips away at the corrosive legacy of the Freak Show.”
Check out disabilities reporting from our NBCU Academy Storytellers:
• How Autistic Adults Are Building Community in NYC
• How Designers Are Transforming Shelters Into Beautiful, Welcoming Spaces
• The Taco Chain Building a Disability-Inclusive Culture
• Thousands of Kids Care for Loved Ones with ALS. This Camp Lets Them Know They Aren’t Alone.
• BONUS: Meet Atlas, NBCUniversal’s “puppy with a purpose”! He’s being trained through a partnership with America’s VetDogs and the Guide Dog Foundation.
