With Jay Leno off the air, his feature Headlines has been missing. So I've decided to run a post this holiday season on my blog highlighting headlines from articles featuring disability issues, just to see whether people think they're naughty or nice - to get the perspective of those of us with disabilities as well as everyone else. (One nice thing about blogs is our access to putting our own point of view out there, something traditional media doesn't allow.) So grab your hot cocoa, put on those Christmas carols and read on and let's see what people really think.
Let's start off with this headline: Amputee boy walks again: 'My life is back '
No life without walking? Hmmm. Is that what he really said? The article talks about injuries sustained by kids in Iraq and does raise awareness of their need for medical equipment, so the content of the article has merit. But here's more of his quote: "My life is back, a new life. I was in Iraq, and I lost my life." What do you think? Were his words taken out of context for the headline? Naughty or nice?
How about this story I got over at Disapedia: Disabled students tackle daily challenges. It's about university students in Africa, who have to crawl around inaccessible campuses (and are subsequently 'late to classes'), drop out of schools without accessible campus housing, have no lifts on transit to commute to school and where male students with disabilities have not received, despite numerous requests, the simple installation of a sit down toilet in the mens' rest room. I guess we'd all agree that's a pretty obvious naughty headline for such a story, characterizing crawling around on dirty, wet floors in an attempt to get an education as tackling a "daily challenge". How about "dehumanizing conditions" instead of daily challenges? But up to you - naughty or nice?
Here's one story we can all agree on - a paraplegic man's wheelchair was stolen while he shopped in an electric cart at Walmart's. He thought the greeter was keeping an eye on his wheelchair. The thief was caught on surveillance tape, but in the meantime, the wheelchair user has no chair. Walmart claims no liability, stating that the greeter's job was simply to greet people. I guess he better hope the police find his wheelchair.
Here's one story we can all agree on - a paraplegic man's wheelchair was stolen while he shopped in an electric cart at Walmart's. He thought the greeter was keeping an eye on his wheelchair. The thief was caught on surveillance tape, but in the meantime, the wheelchair user has no chair. Walmart claims no liability, stating that the greeter's job was simply to greet people. I guess he better hope the police find his wheelchair.
Let me know if you've seen any headlines about disability issues that strike you as suitable for a naughty or nice vote. Because Santa's on his way!
And, thanks to Lawrence Carter-Long for this link to an article about responsible journalism when reporting on injuries, discussing the recent case of Kevin Everett. As he put it "Get to commenting!"
[visual description: A big black lump of coal is shown.]
2 comments:
The articles are pretty good. The headlines reduce the issues and are pretty bad. I vote naughty for both headlines.
My vote is naughty.
Post a Comment