Gendered re-presentations of disability: Equality, empowerment and marginalisation in Paralympic media

The commercial success of the Paralympics, driven by Channel 4's socially progressive coverage, has led to a celebrity Paralympic media culture and new gendered/sexualised media representations of para-athletes. From Pinterest's 'Paralympian Babes' to the Daily Mirror's 'Sexiest Female Paralympians', Paralympic media is challenging the historical marginalisation of gender and sexuality in the representation of disability. Whilst such examples demonstrate important cultural and social change in disability representation, it raises pressing questions concerning gender equality in the context of disability media content, particularly as representations intersect with other forms of marginal identities such as race and ethnicity. No empirical research to date has explored Paralympic media coverage in relation to gender equality. This project seeks to address this, providing new knowledge on the gendered/sexualised representations of para-athletes in Paralympic print and online media with a focus on intersectionality, and the implications of this beyond the media on the experiences and negotiation of gendered and sexual identities in the lives of disabled people. This knowledge can be used to refine approaches to disability representation that are gender inclusive, empowering for disabled people, and contribute to greater social inclusion and gendered/sexual well-being. It aims to further contribute to ensuring Paralympic media coverage - as an important vehicle for the equality and empowerment of disabled people - continues to effect progressive social change.

The project is formed of several integrated qualitative work packages to provide a robust joined-up evidence base. These include: (1) A comprehensive media analysis of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic media content that will aim more fully explore the dominant gendered representations of para-athletes, and, (2) through the use of focus groups/interviews and interviews, to explore the multiple ways dominant gendered representations feed into the perceptions, interpretations, conversations and (re-)negotiation of gendered identities in the everyday lives of disabled people. A public art exhibition drawn from the findings of focus groups/interviews will elevate the multiple and diverse disabled voices in the project and illuminate the unheard and marginalised issue of gender, sexuality and disability through creative collaboration with disabled artists.

The project builds on previous research in this area and established links with non-academic organisations for ongoing impact on policy and practice, engagement with civil society, and collaborations between academic and non-academic organisations. Importantly, it seeks to more fully and critically explore an emerging disability gender politics and aid the development of an empirical interdisciplinary knowledge base on gender, disability, culture, sport and media studies to address the issue of both gender and disability equality across the humanities.

The focus on cultural analysis as an important emancipatory tool in developing critical thought beyond academia is central to this project.
Who will benefit from this research?
a) Disabled Communities and Disabled Artists: Disabled people at the intersection of BME, disabled artists.
b) Policy Makers and Media: Channel 4 (Paralympic broadcaster); Disability Rights UK (Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Disability), Sport England, Paralympics GB, UK sport, International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Commonwealth Games Federation, National Governing Bodies.
c) Civil Society: Disability organisations, advocacy groups, support groups, charities.
d) General Public: The public body, students.

How will they benefit from the research?
The project will engage the above beneficiaries by providing evidence-based research through a variety of formats:
a) Disabled Communities and Disabled Artists: The art exhibition will elevate the voices of disabled people, particularly those at the intersection of BME, through a series of accessible art exhibits created by disabled artists. This will benefit disabled communities by highlighting issues of stigma, exclusion and disempowerment across different disabled bodies - those often invisible and marginalised - and contribute to highlighting public awareness of disability related issues within different disabled communities. The exhibits will be created by disabled artists, benefiting the disabled art community, and helping to raise public awareness of disabled artistic talent and networks.
b) Policy Makers and Media: Channel 4 (Paralympic broadcaster) will be provided with a research report and recommendations to ensure inclusive, emancipatory and equal gendered representations of disabled people in the media (in Paralympic broadcasting and across their wider disability programming) thereby influencing their media practices. Organisations influential in the policy context (such Disability Rights UK, Sport England and UK sport) will benefit through a series of knowledge translation research seminars over the duration of the project which will highlight how disabled people experience gendered barriers to full participation in cultural life - in particular sport and leisure - and provide important knowledge on the relationship between gender, disability and BME in this debate. Research seminars will open up dialogue with organisations and provide a platform to develop future interventions and policy formation aimed at greater inclusivity and equality (e.g. toward greater inclusion in disability sport at the grassroots). These recommendations will be based on the knowledge gained from disabled people, thereby elevating the voices of diverse groups of disabled people in the policy making process.
c) Civil Society: Organisations (national and international)(e.g. Disability Rights UK, The Equality and Human Rights Commission) working to raise awareness of disability and gender related issues will benefit from the project knowledge; this will be highlighted through a formal report (summarised and discussed with stakeholders at the opening evening of the exhibition and provided in both hard copy on the opening evening and PDF form) thereby providing an important point of reference for potential future interventions and societal impacts.
d) General Public, students: The research findings will be translated into accessible forms for public engagement thereby developing a pathway of knowledge translation between the academy and the public. This will be achieved through: (1) a free and fully accessible art exhibition with exhibits archived through Loughborough University; (2) two free public lectures taking place in in London and the Midlands to extend audience reach and to promote knowledge translation over the course of the project. These will be filmed and made available on YouTube for sustained public engagement and as a pedagogical tool for students/teacher.