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Appendix C: Media Monitoring Project Content Analysis Codebook

A) Bibliographic variables

Applicable: code as inapplicable (0) if:

  • Item does not identify a person with a disability, or
  • Item does not identify a disability issue (see definition below)
  • Community event listings
  • Index
  • Obituaries
  • Brief references to disability insurance plans

Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. If meets this definition, code as applicable=1.

A8) Prominence (how prominently does the item mention a person with disabilities or a disability issue)

  • 0. Not prominent (mentioned once, not critical to story)
  • 1. Prominent (mentioned more than once, or in headline, or critical to the story)

B) Disability variables

B1) Type of disability

  • 1. Mobility impairment (MS, stroke, polio, amputation, brain injury)
  • 2. Vision impairment
  • 3. Cognitive/intellectual impairment (Stroke, Downs, Autism, Aspergers,
  • 4. Hearing impairment
  • 5. Mental impairment (Schizophrenia, PTSD, bi-polar_
  • 6. Medical impairment (diabetes
  • 7. General reference
  • 98. Multiple impairments noted
  • 99. Other specific (if Other specific, use field to indicate type of disability).

B2) Second Type of disability (Second field, use list above)

B3) Topics (What is the main topic of the article as it concerns disabilities?)

  • 1. Children with disabilities
  • 2. Government/private funding
  • 3. Education issues
  • 4. Health care access/costs
  • 5. Discrimination - general
  • 6. Jobs/employment/accessibility
  • 7. Aging/elderly
  • 8. Recreation/sports
  • 9. Mobility/accessibility
  • 10. Transportation
  • 11. Independent living
  • 12. Disability benefits
  • 99. OTHER (please specify in field provided)

B4) Source (What is the main source of information used in the news report concerning people with disabilities or disability issues? What is generating the story about disabilities?)

  • 1. Individual – person with a disability
  • 2. people with disabilities group/association
  • 3. Family/friend/caregiver of a person with a disability
  • 4. Health care provider (doctor, nurse, hospital, care facility employee, therapist, public health authority)
  • 5. Government – federal (agencies, departments, ministers, staff, PM)
  • 6. Government – provincial
  • 7. Government – local/regional
  • 8. Government – International (non-Canadian)
  • 9. Political opposition party (federal or provincial)
  • 10. Health care advocacy group (non-disability related – not representing disability above).
  • 11. Courts
  • 12. Media opinion leaders (columnist, editorial)
  • 13. Individual (non-disability related)
  • 14. Celebrity
  • 15. Business
  • 16. Expert (academic)
  • 17. Medical researcher
  • 18. Educator
  • 99. OTHER (please specify in field provided)

B6) People with disabilities voice (Who within the disability community most expresses in the item the view of the person with a disability. It must be a quote or paraphrased statement.)

  • 0. No person with a disability quoted or paraphrased
  • 1. People with disabilities
  • 2. Family
  • 3. Advocate/advocacy group - people with disabilities

B7) Hot-button topics (Is it about a story that has particular resonance regarding people with disabilities?)

C) Disability rights conditions

The following section outlines rights for people with disabilities as established under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by Canada in 2007. How the media report on people with disabilities is being assessed in terms of the portrayal not only of subject (i.e., the person with a disability and/or related issue), but also the outcome in the context of how Canadian audiences are seeing people with disabilities either achieving and/or asserting their rights, or are seeing their rights denied.

The intent of the coding exercise is to determine which, if any, of the following rights is addressed in the news item as it pertains to the situation of the person with a disability that is reported. In order to be applicable, there must be two conditions:

There are two possible options:

1. Issue/subject mentioned in context of the right and the right is achieved and/or affirmed favourably. Possible examples of a right being affirmed favourably would include:

2. Issue/subject mentioned in context of the right and the right is denied or left unmet. Possible examples of the fright not being affirmed favourably would include:

C1) Accessibility: [Art. 9]
ensure access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, and to other facilities and services open or provided to public.
C2) Life: [Art. 10]
every human being has the inherent right to life and shall take all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
C3) Protection in situations of risk: [Art. 11]
ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disaster.
C4) Legal recognition: [Art. 12]
people with disabilities have the right to recognition everywhere as persons before the law, including owning property, and control financial affairs.
C5) Access to justice: [Art. 13]
ensure effective access to justice for people with disabilities on an equal basis with others, including through the provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations, and promote training for those working in the justice system in dealing with people with disabilities.
C6) Liberty and security of the person: [Art. 14]
ensure that people with disabilities enjoy the right to liberty and security of person and are not deprived of their liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily.
C7) Freedom from torture or inhuman treatment; from exploitation , violence and abuse: [Art 15 & 16]
ensure measures to prevent people with disabilities from being subjected to torture, inhuman treatment or punishment; to medical or scientific experimentation without consent; to protect people with disabilities from all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse.
C8) Freedom of movement and nationality: [Art. 17]
can choose their country of residence and nationality on an equal basis with others, and are not deprived of their nationality on the basis of their disability.
C9) Live independently and being included in the community: [Art. 19]
people with disabilities have the opportunity to freely choose their place of residence on an equal basis with others, where and with whom they choose and are not obliged to live in a particular arrangement.
C10) Personal mobility: [Art. 20]
ensure personal mobility of people with disabilities in the manner and time of their choice, and at affordable cost; access to quality mobility aids, devices, and forms of live assistance as well as training in mobility skills.
C11) Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information: [Art. 21]
people with disabilities provided devices and resources to allow for freedom of expression equal to others, all at an affordable cost (info in accessible formats; alternative communication accepte din official interactions).
C12) Respect for privacy: [Art. 22]
protect people with disabilities against arbitrary or unlawful interference with their privacy, family, home, correspondence or other forms of communication; protect the privacy of their personal, health and rehabilitation information.
C13) Respect for home and family: [Art. 23]
people with disabilities have equal rights relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships.
C14) Education: [Art. 24]
people with disabilities have right to education and opportunities for life-long learning on equal terms with others. To be included in regular education system with reasonable accommodation of individual requirements.
C15) Health and rehabilitation: [Art. 25,26]
people with disabilities have right to access highest standard of health care without discrimination based on their disability, including rehabilitative services.
C16) Employment: [Art. 27]
people with disabilities have right to work on equal basis with others in a profession of their choosing free of impediments and discrimination, with equal opportunities for advancement
C17) Adequate standard of living and social protection: [Art. 28]
people with disabilities have the right to an adequate standard of living (food, clothes, shelter). Right to social protection includes access to poverty reduction, public housing and retirement programmes.
C18) Participation in political and public life: [Art. 29]
ensure that people with disabilities fully participate in political and public life, directly or through freely chosen representatives (right to vote; to be elected; forming and joining organizations).
C19) Culture/recreation: [Art. 30]
people with disabilities have equal opportunity to take part in cultural life. (accessibility to cultural materials and places; cultural and linguistic identity), in recreational, leisure and sporting activities (mainstream and disability-specific).

D) Framing mechanisms

The following questions determine whether the author of the news story uses one of four common framing mechanisms that allow the story to be better understood by a wider audience. The common mechanisms are: medical; heroic/overcoming; economic/charity; rights.

0 No framing mechanism
1 Medical model:

Disability is framed as a medical story, characterized as an individual pathology that is a physiological or psychological condition understood through medicine or medical knowledge

Question to ask: Is disability presented as an illness or condition dependent on health professional or therapists for cures or maintenance?

2 Heroic/Overcoming model:

Disability is framed as a heroic or superhuman event. Emphasis is placed on individual resilience, and the ability to overcome a disability.

Question to ask: Are people with disabilities portrayed as superhuman, inspirational, or 'special' because they live with a disability? Are they portrayed as examples of people who canmake it despite their disadvantage?

3 Economic/Charity model:

Disability is framed within a charitable context and often individuals are portrayed in the news stories as victims. These types of stories are alternatively framed as 'feel-good' stories about charity work that is provided for programs or events for people with disabilities.

Question to ask: Are people with disabilities presented as disadvantaged and recognized as needing to look to the state or to society for economic support, or are people with disabilities and their issues presented as expensive and costly to society? Is there a sense in the story that people who offer charity or assistance to people with disabilities are bettering society and therefore are more worthy themselves?

4. Rights model:

Disability is placed within a larger social, political and economic context. The individual story is placed in the larger whole of the structural conditions that impact or create disabling barriers for people with disabilities.

Question to ask: Are people with disabilities presented as persons entitled and deserving of equal rights?

  • 0. Not hot-button story noted
  • 1. Robert Latimer
  • 2. CTA/SCC ruling – VIA Rail
  • 3. CTA ruling – Air Canada
  • 4. CHRC Tribunal victory re: National Capital Commission
  • 5. Honda v. Keys Supreme Court case
  • 6. Cancellation of Court Challenges Programme
  • 7. Paralympic Games
  • 8. Ratification by Canada of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

    • the issue and/or subject concerning disabilities that makes the article applicable must be mentioned in the context of the right; and
    • there is a clear outcome as to whether the issue/subject encounters a positive or negative experience in terms of satisfying the right.
    1. Problem is identified and there is an adequate response
    2. Needs are met
    3. Funding is allocated
    4. Innovative solution found to issue
    1. Case of discrimination
    2. Problem identified, no or inadequate response
    3. Negative live/work situation for people with disabilities

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