This is a list of panels organised by members of this group in ICA 2024 in Gold Coast, Australia.
Disabled peoples’ activism for disability rights have been fundamental in shaping a new world of inclusion. Such a focus has been affirmed, notably by the passing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Yet disabled people today continue to face challenges and inequalities globally. This panel discusses how disabled activists globally advocate for social change and justice, in media and communications, as well as in creating solidarity across time and space.
Division/Interest Group: Activism, Communication and Social Justice
Chairs
Katie Ellis, Curtin U, AUSTRALIA
Gerard Goggin, Western Sydney U, AUSTRALIA
Kuansong Victor Zhuang, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE
Presentations
Unmasking the Reel: Representations of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Cinema, by Hannah Tollison, Victoria U of Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Instagram and Disability Organizations: Indonesia Towards Inclusion, by Umar Syaroni, U of Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Fractures in the Disability Movements, by Abdul Rohman, RMIT U, VIETNAM
Australia’s Disability Royal Commission: Media Advocacy and Social Change, by Katie Ellis, Curtin U, AUSTRALIA
The emergent uses of technology in society has had great impact, but its impact on disabled people and how it intersects with disability rights is little understood. Papers in this session consider the intersections of disability rights and emerging technologies across a range of global locations and research perspectives, yet all very much engaging with core tenets of disability rights, focused on exposing normative structures and issues that prevent disabled peoples’ participation in society.
Division/Interest Group: Communication and Technology
Chairs
Katie Ellis, Curtin U, AUSTRALIA
Gerard Goggin, Western Sydney U, AUSTRALIA
Kuansong Victor Zhuang, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE
Presentations
Increasing Inclusion or Increasing Impairment: Communication Technologies and Disability, by Maqymseahe Ninces, Independent Scholar, NEW ZEALAND
Interrogating the Autonomous Dream: An Instrumentalization Theory Approach to Examining the Inclusion of People with Ambulatory Disabilities in Singapore’s Autonomous Public Transport Development, by Wenqi Tan, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE, and Shirley Ho, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE
Technological Trends and the Development of Disability Rights in Chinese Society: An Analysis of Blind Patents (1999–2023), by Zhuoxiao Xie, Nanjing U, CHINA, Cong Cai, U of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, CHINA, and Jingyi Liao, Independent Scholar, CHINA
Disability Rights, Media Accessibility and Smart TVs, by Tessa Dwyer, Monash U, AUSTRALIA and Alexa Scarlata, RMIT U, AUSTRALIA
Disability Rights are Human Rights. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, heralding a new global era that recognizes disabled peoples’ rights for equal participation (Harpur 2012). Yet disability communication and media researchers have highlighted how disabled people continue to face injustices and marginalization but also the opportunities that may emerge when we centre disability as a generative form of knowledge and embodiment. Given that media and communications play central roles in contributing to social progress and transformative social change (Couldry et al. 2018), how can disability research in communication studies affirm and support the progress of disability rights? Cutting across various areas and fields within communication studies, and discussing a wide range of global locations, papers in this panel attempt to highlight contemporary issues that disabled people face, underpinned by a keen recognition of disability rights, and critically analyse these issues and their impact for communications.
Division/Interest Group: Theme
Chairs
Katie Ellis, Curtin U, AUSTRALIA
Gerard Goggin, Western Sydney U, AUSTRALIA
Kuansong Victor Zhuang, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE
Presentations:
Leveraging TikTok for Disability Rights: A Bright Future or a Dark Disappointment?, by Beth Haller, Towson U, USA
Loosing Privilege, Acquiring Rights: Digital Communication by and About People Who Became Blind, by Lorenzo Dalvit, Rhodes U, SOUTH AFRICA
Disability Rights? Communication, Mobility, and the Case of Inclusive Infrastructure in Singapore, by Kuansong Victor Zhuang, Nanyang Technological U, SINGAPORE
Health Communications and Inclusive Design, by Katie Ellis, Curtin U, AUSTRALIA