Visual discourses of disability framework

This chapter presents the Visual Discourses of Disability (ViDD) framework for analyzing how disability is visually represented in still images. It conceptualizes image composition along two intersecting continua: perspectivizing–personizing , which reflects the degree to which an image focuses on impairment versus the person, and enabling–disabling , which captures the cumulative attitudinal meanings conveyed. The interaction of these dimensions generates four topological spaces— empowering , advocating , handicapping and othering —which help to unpack the nuanced means through which disability is framed and construed. The ViDD framework offers a systematic approach to interpreting visual representations of disability, revealing the underlying societal values embedded in visual news discourse. It proposes ways of understanding and (re)interpreting signs of disability and offers a more empowering , respectful and humanizing approach to portraying disabled persons and their disabilities. The framework also serves as a practical tool for more ethically informed image selection and publication for both professionals and members of the public to promote more respectful, inclusive and humanizing portrayals of disability.