Lived Experience Can Strengthen Newsrooms
Issue Nine
Hello, I’m Priti Salian, an independent journalist, researcher and media trainer based out of Bengaluru, a city in South India. Welcome to the ninth edition of Reframing Disability, a fortnightly dispatch simplifying disability inclusion for content creators.
In this issue, hear from journalist Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird about inclusion in the Irish media, and blogger Alexander Ogheneruemu about being a ‘late deafie’. Explore an accessibility game-changer, an inclusive design guide, and a few opportunities. Find an accessibility tip to integrate into your work this fortnight.
Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird is an Irish disability activist and freelance journalist. For the past few years, she has been writing alongside her full-time studies. In 2023 she graduated with a Master’s degree in Journalism, Media and Globalisation, and is now focusing on writing and building her career as a journalist. The majority of the stories she writes look at disability issues. Read her report on the forced sterilisation of women with disabilities in Europe, refugees with disabilities across the world and the women who are changing the fashion industry and designing clothes for people with disabilities. Find more of her work on Muck Rack, and connect with her on X.
Irish Journalist Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird (Handout photo)
In this interview, she calls out the Irish news media for not being inclusive enough of journalists with disabilities.
How inclusive is the Irish news media of journalists with disabilities?
I wouldn’t say that the Irish news media is hugely inclusive of journalists with disabilities. I say that based solely on the fact that there are no more than a handful of us working in the Irish media. Also, although I’ve never been actively excluded from the industry, I’ve never been actively included either; I’ve never seen a programme or scheme to diversify the newsroom. I’ve found it hard to engage with the Irish media for that reason but as a freelance journalist, I’ve been able to broaden my focus on the international media. I think the Irish news media needs to diversify and implement a scheme for journalists with disabilities who want to make a career in the industry. I got my start in journalism from a similar scheme in the Guardian, so it could definitely work in Ireland too. I took part in the Guardian’s Positive Action Scheme in 2019, and spent two weeks learning from the brilliant journalists at the Features desk. My experiences at the Guardian definitely helped me to figure out what kind of journalist I wanted to be.
How accessible is the Irish news media for audiences with disabilities?
Inclusivity and accessibility go hand in hand, so I suppose my answer to this question would be similar to the one above. Although the national broadcaster, RTÉ, does sometimes feature an ISL (Irish Sign Language) interpretation on screen, there is little else done for people with disabilities trying to access the news media. In general, there is a need for increased accessibility in the media, not just in Ireland.
What is the approach taken towards stories on disabilities?
There are not enough stories about disability in the Irish media, and on the rare occasion that there are, the stories are more than likely written by a non-disabled journalist. Not only do we need more stories that shine a light on disability issues in Ireland, we need more disabled journalists to tell them. I think more opinion or comment pieces by journalists with disabilities would help to educate readers about the reality of living with a disability in this country. Last year, I wrote an article for the Irish Independent about getting married as a person with a disability, and the fact that people with disabilities can’t get married in Ireland without losing their disability benefits. The article had a really good reception and helped to inform people about this particular issue, and, without me, this story wouldn’t have been told, so I think it’s a good example of the advocacy work journalists with disabilities can do.
Notes on deafness from a reader
Thanks to all of you who write in with your feedback. This time I decided to publish a reader who shared his thoughts on the eighth issue.
Alexander Ogheneruemu, a deaf blogger from Nigeria said that while reading my review of the documentary, “Friday Night Blind” he was drawing parallels between the character’s blindness and his own deafness.
“Take the reality of struggles for one: When Judy looks back with some melancholy at her past sighted life, it brings up memories of my hearing days (up till 8 years old or thereabouts). I know how much of the joys of sound, and especially music, deafness robs one of. Interestingly, I'm not alone in this. In a group of later deafened adults I belong to, conversations occasionally drift in the direction of the deaf now and the hearing then. During those moments, members old and young invariably recall missing out on the joys of sound and music. Many, like myself, are avid music lovers, and we often recall with nostalgia, music from our hearing days.
Yes, I can relate when you wrote that you get a sense that life gets harder for the person who gets blind later in life than the one born blind. One way, this applies to deafness too. However, I can from experience say that the later deafened person stands at a bigger advantage. Why? The previous hearing experience provides an inexhaustible reservoir going forward.
And you know what, Priti, we ‘deafies’ certainly know how to make good humour [out] of our inability to hear. We talk about the pains and pleasures of deafness.”
Thank you, Alexander, for showing your perspective to the world!
Resources on design accessibility
Google’s Inclusive Design Guide
Great guidelines for creating in-person, virtual and hybrid programmes that are inclusive and accessible for all attendees.
Three things from the guide stood out to me.
To be truly inclusive and facilitate richer conversations and build community, invite diverse speakers, diverse audiences, and plan diverse content. Remove barriers to attendance by providing need-based scholarships, travel grants, subsidised tickets, or stipends for working parents who may need help with childcare to attend.
Have a separate quiet room, if possible, as it can be helpful for neurodivergent individuals, and anyone who wants to take a break from the crowd.
Create a space where people can relieve their service animals and guide dogs throughout the day if there is not an area readily available.
GPT-4 Image Recognition is a feature being touted as a massive game changer in accessibility.
GPT-4, produced by Open AI, is a Large Language Model (LLM) that can accept both text and images. If you take a picture or screenshot, GPT-4 will describe a thoroughly detailed image, though it may not be very accurate each time. But, you can ask GPT-4 more questions to get more information about the image.
To describe images on his phone, one of my acquaintances, who is a screen reader user, utilises the “Be My Eyes” app which has integrated Chat GPT into its services. “It’s simply brilliant,” he said.
Accessibility tip of the fortnight
Many subscribers of Reframing Disability have mentioned finding accessibility tips useful. So, I’ll share one simple idea in each issue. Integrate it into your work for accessibility!
Today it’s about making links and hypertext friendly to screen reader users.
Use descriptive links
Links should be descriptive. Avoid using words and phrases like “click here”, “here”, “read more”, “more”, and “link to”. They are redundant. Screen reader users should get accurate information about what they are clicking.
For example, use,
“To learn more about the accessibility of emojis, read the sixth issue of Reframing Disability.”
Instead of,
“To learn more about the accessibility of emojis, click here.”
Or
“To learn more about the accessibility of emojis, read the sixth issue of Reframing Disability here. (“Here” is redundant.)”
Keep them short
There is no limit to the length, but try to keep the linked text to five to six words. Avoid linking entire sentences or paragraphs. Pick the most important words in your text to link. Keep it just long enough to convey the meaning.
Opportunities
1. 2024 Easterseals Film Challenge
For: Disabled filmmakers and talent worldwide
Deadline: 1 April 2024
“You will have the chance to vie for over $150,000 in grants in the 2024 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge from April 2-7. Over the course of five days, participants from all over the world will write, shoot and edit a short film based on this year’s genre, “Buddy Comedy.” Submitted films are judged in six award categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writer, Best Editor and Best Awareness Campaign. In addition to the grant money, winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize, mentorship meetings with industry executives, Dell Technologies computers, and more.”
2. Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism is accepting applications for 2024-2025.
For: Journalists from the US and Ireland
Deadline: Friday, April 12, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET
Thanks for the appreciation!
Divyanshu Ganatra, the founder of Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation has very kind words for Reframing Disability-
“Priti, your newsletter is by far miles ahead of anything I have read on this side of the world. Your writing is beautiful, nuanced, and extremely inclusive and empowering. I like the fact that you cover different topics and stories from around the world. I liked the way you described the video, which made the story much more beautiful. We need more such stories to come out for awareness, education, and disability inclusion. Thank you for your good work!”
Thank you, Divyanshu, and all readers for investing time in this newsletter.
Do you want to share something about disability inclusion? Write in with your thoughts. I write back.
Putting together this newsletter takes time. Spread the word about Reframing Disability to support me. And let’s connect on LinkedIn and Twitter!
Warmly,
Priti
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Niamh Ni sums it with fine precision: "Not only do we need more stories that shines a light on disability issues. We need more disabled journalists to tell them ..."
The lines that follows speaks volumes.