Browsing by Author "Randelin, Ellen"

The aim if this master's thesis was to examine discourses about disability in Helsingin Sanomat and to observe how a positive, heroic, stereotype about disability occurs. The background of this was influenced by disability stereotypes and social disability studies' view about disability as social construct. A social disability model was mainly used as a tool to perceive disability. Impression behind heroic stereotype exploration was a view of stigmatizing positive stereotypes. Research problems were: What kind of disability discourses do appear in Helsingin Sanomat? and What kind of discourses do appear about heroic disability? The purpose of this study was to challenge perceptions about disability and offer a new perspective to explore disability. My research material consisted of writings about disabled persons in Helsingin Sanomat in 2008-2013, which accumulated altogether 107 articles, altogether 117 pages. The analysis was based on French discourse analysis tradition, where the attention is focused on cultural products that construct reality. With the help of discourse analysis, it was explained what kind of discourses were built and what do they tell about attitudes toward disability. There appeared quite different discourses about disability, but the most noticeable was the tragic discourse. This was however challenged through opposing discourses, in which the problems focus was centered to society instead of focusing the problems toward individual. Difference discourse was striven to be emphasize the differences related to disability, but it was protested by similarity discourse. Heroic disability was constructed through opposing discourse to tragic discourse about disability and overplayed skills and persistence. This study shows that disabled are still in the marginal, though attitudes seem to be changing. Positive stereotypes are stigmatizing and uphold attitudes where skills are interpreted as an exception. At the same time disabled people may be seen as somehow magical creatures. This study highlights attitudes toward disability which can be seen as a tool to challenge prejudice and normative attitudes about disability.