Media Portrayal Of Mental Health And Intellectual Disability - Useful Links
Abilities, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a cross-disability lifestyle magazine. It is widely read by people with disabilities, their families, friends, and professionals. The publication is available in print and on CD. In addition to its subscriber base, Abilities is circulated to organizations across Canada committed to the advancement and well-being of people with disabilities, as well as professionals, corporations, and government agencies. More information is available at: http://www.enablelink.org/abilities.html?showabilities=1.
Ability Magazine, Huntington Beach, California, USA, is a magazine on health, disability, and human potential issues. It presents useful information for readers with disabilities, as well as reflecting an editorial perspective on topics of concern. More information is available at: http://www.abilitymagazine.com/.
Abilities Arts Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a disability arts organization that showcases artistic excellence by artists with disabilities. It uses art as a vehicle for transforming public perceptions about people with disabilities. Abilities Arts Festival produces multidisciplinary arts festivals that include art exhibitions, the performing arts, films, workshops, panels, and networking opportunities, as well as programming designed primarily for children with disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.abilitiesartsfestival.org/.
Assistive Media, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, works to improve the educational, cultural, and quality-of-living standards for people with disabilities by providing free, copyright-approved, high-quality audio recordings of literary works to the world disability community. More information is available at: http://www.assistivemedia.org/.
Aquarius Health Care Media, Sherborn, Massachusetts, USA, produces and selects videos and DVD's which offer support on life issues, such as coping with the loss of a loved one, acknowledging that a family member has a mental illness, and struggling with the challenges of having a disability. More information is available at: http://www.aquariusproductions.com/.
BBC - Ouch! Disability Magazine, London, United Kingdom, is a website of the British Broadcasting Corporation with information that reflects the lives and experiences of disabled people. It has regular columns, features, quizzes, a monthly podcast, blogs, and a community message board amongst other things. Most of contributors are people with disabilities themselves. More information is available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/.
The Big Tree, London, United Kingdom, is a gateway to the internet for people with intellectual disabilities, their families, and those that work with them. The Big Tree is designed to help overcome the difficulties of knowing where to look and how to understand the vast amount of information and knowledge about intellectual disability that is already available on the internet. More information is available at: http://www.thebigtree.org/.
Born to Act Players, Los Angeles, California, USA, is a unique theater company comprised of professional performers with and without disabilities, including actors with Down Syndrome. Actors' credits include "ER," "The Guardian," "CSI," "Family Law," "Any Day Now," and other films and series. More information is available at: http://www.borntoactplayers.com/.
Broadcasting and Creative Industries Disability Network (BCIDN), London, United Kingdom, brings together the UK's major broadcasters to explore and address disability as it relates to the media industry. The Network makes it easier for members to recruit and retain disabled people, and to promote and share best practice across the industry. More information is available at: http://www.employers-forum.co.uk/www/bcidn/.
The British Film Institute, London, United Kingdom, provides information on how disability has been represented in moving image from the earliest days. The approach is from a disability equality and human rights perspective, which draws on the collective thinking of the disabled people's movement. More information is available at: http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/.
Carousel, Brighton, United Kingdom, is guided by the principles of: striving for artistic excellence, ensuring quality activities, working in genuine collaboration with others and challenging perceptions of what art is and who can create it. It aims to inspire people with intellectual disabilities to achieve their artistic ambitions. More information is available at: http://carousel.org.uk/.
The Center for an Accessible Society, San Diego, California, USA, focuses public attention on disability issues. It is a communications clearinghouse providing journalists with credible information and quotable sources on national disability policy and independent living issues. It seeks to counter media myths about disability. More information is available at: http://www.accessiblesociety.org/.
Channel 4, London, United Kingdom, has embarked on a number of new initiatives to increase the number of people with disabilities on and off screen, and to reflect disabled people's participation in society more fully. It is currently monitoring disability representation in programs and on production teams. Production companies should register any disabled contributors or crew members on the portrayal and production monitoring forms which have to be completed for every programme. More information is available at: http://www.channel4.com/corporate/4producers/resources/disability.html.
Culture! Disability! Talent!, Berkeley, California, USA, is a non-profit, collaborative organization that works to transform disability stereotypes by providing access and opportunities for performers and media-makers with disabilities. Comprised of disability cultural artists, activists, and allies, CDT promotes artistic excellence and diversity by presenting disability cultural events. Its primary activities are: SUPERFEST International Disability Film Festival, Ever Widening Circle, and the Professional Enrichment Program. More information is available at: http://www.culturedisabilitytalent.org/.
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, promotes and provides equal access to communication and learning for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind, through described and captioned educational media. The ultimate goal of the DCMP is for accessible media to be an integral tool in the teaching and learning process for all stakeholders in the educational community, including students, educators and other school personnel, parents, service providers, businesses, and agencies. More information is available at: http://www.dcmp.org/.
DisabilityFilms, United Kingdom, presents a detailed list of over 2,500 feature films which involve in one way or another, various disabilities. It is directed towards teachers, students, and anyone who has an interest in how disability is represented in films. Films are listed by topic, and categorized as Major and Minor films. Each film is either reviewed or includes a summary and links to further information. More information is available at: http://www.disabilityfilms.co.uk/.
Disability and Media website has as its main goal the inclusion of people with disabilities in the mass media, including television, fiction, news, and advertisements. It is a tool for the exchange of information and best practices between mainstream media professionals, advertising experts, disability specific media, and disabled people. The website was established following the European Congress on Media and Disability, which took place on 14-16 June 2003 in Athens, Greece, on the occasion of the European Year of Disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.media-disability.org/.
Disability Media, Inc. (DMI), Denver, Colorado, USA, is a private nonprofit organization which seeks to inform the disability community, families, and the general public about the accomplishments, strengths, and needs of persons with disabilities. It uses journalistic articles, creative writing, lectures and speeches, and direct conversation to communicate its message. More information is available at: http://disabilitymedia.org/.
Disability World is an online magazine ("webzine") on various topics of interest to, and about people with disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.disabilityworld.org/.
Down Syndrome in Arts and Media, Hollywood, California, USA, is a database of talented people with DS and of the training available to them in the field of media and arts. The site aims to connect those who have DS or other developmental disabilities: casting directors with actors, event planners with public speakers and entertainers, set decorators with visual artists, and publishers with poets and writers. More information is available at: http://www.dsiam.org/.
The European Institute for the Media, Berlin, Germany, is a think-tank for research and strategy concerning developments in European media and communications. The EIM has been a partner in a multi-country Real Live Media Project. More information is available at: http://www.eim.org/.
Fanlight Productions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, is a leading distributor of innovative video and film works on social issues, with a special focus on healthcare, mental health, professional ethics, ageing and gerontology, disabilities, the workplace, and gender and family issues. More information is available at: http://www.fanlight.com/.
FENACERCI (Federação Nacional das Cooperativas de Solidariedade Social, "the Portuguese National Federation of Social Solidarity Cooperatives"), Lisbon, Portugal, is a body comprised of cooperatives for people with intellectual disabilities. Its mission is to defend the interests and rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families through the strengthening of its associate members. It has been a coordinating body of a multi-country Real Live Media project. More information is available at: http://www.fenacerci.pt/.
The Home Farm Trust, Ltd. (HFT), Bristol, United Kingdom, is a charity in the field of long-term support and care for people with intellectual disabilities. The HFT has been a partner in a multi-country Real Live Media Project. More information is available at: http://www.hft.org.uk/.
Images of Disability (IOD), London, United Kingdom, is a cross-government initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ‘mainstream' images of disabled people into government advertising and publicity in the same way that people of various ages, races, and genders are. More information is available at: http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/resources/imagesofdisability.asp.
Inclusion Daily Express, Spokane, Washington, USA, provides disability advocates with the most up-to-date news, information, and commentary about community inclusion, self-determination, and social justice. More information is available at: http://www.inclusiondaily.com/.
The Infinite Mind, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is a nonprofit production of Lichtenstein Creative Media, produced in association with the New York Foundation for the Arts. It is a weekly public radio program focusing on the art and science of the human mind and spirit, behavior, and mental health. More information is available at: http://www.lcmedia.com/mindprgm.htm.
Integracja (Stowaryszenie Przviaciol Integracii, "Friends of Integration Association"), Warsaw, Poland, is a nonprofit organization providing education and information for people with disabilities. The association runs the Information Centre of People with Disabilities, publishes a bi-monthly magazine, books, and leaflets, produces a TV program, and organizes social campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, and concerts. More information is available at: http://www.integracja.org/ledge/x/12396.
International Disability News Ticker on the AbilityInfo website monitors and collects disability-related news from around the world. It is a useful website for students that are studying in the field of disability, as well as professionals working within it. More information is available at: http://www.abilityinfo.com/ticker.html.
The International Guild of Disabled Artists and Performers (IGODAP), Auckland, New Zealand, is a collective of artists and performers who identify with impairment and/or disability. It provides an opportunity for disabled artists and performers to network and exchange information, ideas, and experience, as well as promoting disability culture and defending the rights of disabled performers. More information is available at: http://www.igodap.org/.
Media and Disability website was developed in the course of a European Commission-supported project to increase and improve the portrayal of people with disabilities in the media. The project, coordinated by a Spanish disability organization Fundacion Once was finalized in 2007, and has sought to establish cooperation, mainly at a national level, between mainstream media and disability organizations. One of the project's outcomes has been the Guide on Media and Disability. More information is available at: http://www.mediaanddisability.org/.
Media and Disability Interest Group, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, is a service of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). It promotes academic research into disability issues and mass media, including portrayal, hiring practices, technology, civil rights, and other issues. More information is available at: http://www.media-disability.net/.
Media Education, Wales, United Kingdom, is a website for teachers, students, and anyone interested in media and moving image education in primary, secondary, further, and informal education. It also aims to help people to develop the skills to use the media effectively to communicate their own ideas. More information is available at: http://www.mediaed.org.uk//.
Mental Health Media, London, United Kingdom, is developing and delivering a range of projects which aim to educate people to take action. Its projects give people with experience of mental distress the confidence, skills, and resources to challenge discrimination, and speak out about their experiences. MHM works with journalists and broadcasters to inform their coverage of mental health issues. It also runs the annual Mental Health Media Awards which recognize and celebrate television and radio programs about mental health. More information is available at: http://www.mhmedia.com/.
Mental Help Net website exists to promote mental health and wellness education and advocacy. It is dedicated to educating the public about mental health, wellness, and family and relationship issues and concerns. More information is available at: http://mentalhelp.net/.
Meosz, Budapest, Hungary, aims to achieve equal opportunities and full participation in society for all persons with physical disabilities living in Hungary by representing, protecting and promoting their interests, and advocating for their rights. Meosz has been one of the partners in the Media and Disability project. More information is available at: http://www.meoszinfo.hu/eng/index0x.htm.
National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ), Brookline, Massachusetts, USA, is an independent, impartial journalism education organization. Its mission is to work with journalists and educators on disability reporting issues in order to produce more accurate, fair, and diverse news reporting. More information is available at: http://www.ncdj.org/index.php.
Oska Bright, London, United Kingdom, is a unique film festival run by and for people with learning disabilities. The festival is managed by six artists and film makers with learning disabilities working with Carousel and Junk TV, supported by an NGO Mencap. More information is available at: http://www.oskabright.co.uk/.
Picture this... Film Festival, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is an international disability film festival, a nonprofit annual event initiated by the Community Development Department of Calgary Scope Society, an NGO committed to improving the lives of persons with developmental disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.picturethisfestival.org/a/mainframe2.htm.
Radio Independent Living, Stockholm, Sweden, produces audio documentaries, interviews, and commentaries about independent living and disability rights issues. It highlights the struggle for emancipation of people with disabilities, and develops policies and services for self-determination, equal opportunities, and citizenship that can be replicated elsewhere. More information is available at: http://www.independentliving.org/radio/.
Real Live Media project, coordinated by FENACERCI, Lisbon, Portugal, has as its main goal the improvement in the portrayal of people with disabilities in and by the media. The second goal is to raise public awareness about the rights, responsibilities, potential, and culture of disabled citizens in the European Union. The third goal of the project is to act as an agent for change promoting social inclusion and nondiscrimination, translating Article 6 of the Madrid Declaration on nondiscrimination and positive action into reality for people with learning disabilities. More information is available at: http://inclusion-europe.org/main.php?lang=EN&level=1&s=83&mode=nav1&n1=734. Click here for an easy-to-read version.
Richard Cohen Films, Venice, California, USA, produces and distributes documentary films on inclusive education, special education, homelessness, poverty, involuntary psychiatric treatment, police accountability, and other social issues. More information is available at: http://www.richardcohenfilms.com/.
Ritzy Film Club for Adults with Learning Disabilities, London, United Kingdom, is a film club at the Ritzy Cinema, established especially for adults with learning difficulties, and their friends or caregivers. In December 2005, Lambeth Autism group came up with the idea of autism-friendly screenings, when the soundtrack is turned down, and low lights are left in the auditorium. These are film showings exclusively for people with autism and their friends and families. After the film, free refreshments are provided, and viewers have an opportunity to have a chat with other film club members, their caregivers, and The Ritzy staff. More information is available at: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/ritzy/community.htm.
RTC Media, Minnesota, USA, produces award-winning broadcast documentaries, educational and training programs, Public Service Announcements and profiles in support of community inclusion. Their projects highlight people with disabilities and those who provide support, throughout the United States and abroad, as they pursue full, productive, and integrated lives in their communities. More information is available at: http://rtc.umn.edu/rtcmedia/
Sprout Film Festival, New York, New York, USA, founded in 2003, is sponsored by Sprout, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing innovative programming to people with intellectual disabilities. Sprout has been making videos related to intellectual disabilities, and has witnessed the impact these videos have on people with intellectual disabilities and the general public.
In addition to the annual festival held every spring, there is also the Sprout Touring Film Festival. More information is available at: http://www.gosprout.org/film/.
Statewatch, London, United Kingdom, is a nonprofit voluntary group comprised of lawyers, academics, journalists, researchers, and community activists from 15 countries. Its primary purpose is to provide a service for civil society to encourage informed discussion and debate through the provision of news, features, and analyses. Statewatch encourages the publication of investigative journalism and critical research in Europe in the areas of the state, justice and home affairs, civil liberties, accountability, and openness. More information is available at: http://www.statewatch.org/.
Transitions Online (TOL), Prague, Czech Republic, is an online publication featuring articles and opinion pieces on various contemporary issues, including human rights and democratic reforms. It occasionally covers the rights of persons with mental health problems and/or intellectual disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.tol.cz/.
TV-Glad, Copenhagen, Denmark, is the first TV-station in the world for and by people with intellectual disabilities. It has approximately 130 employees distributed over six branches in Denmark. Additional local branches are about to open in Denmark and abroad. TV-Glad broadcasts its 30 minute-long day and evening programming on various local TV-channels, and can be viewed by approximately one third of the Danish population. More information is available at: http://www.tv-glad.dk/.
Video Press of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, Maryland, USA, produces documentaries, fundraisers and public relations programs, tribute pieces, educational and training films, including disability awareness DVDs. More information is available at: http://www.videopress.umaryland.edu/.
360 USA, Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, USA, is an interactive E-zine that challenges the traditional views of people with disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.360usainc.com/home.cfm.