Disability Rights Advocacy and New Media in Britain and America

Trevisan, F. (2016) Disability Rights Advocacy and New Media in Britain and America. Series: Routledge studies in global information, politics and society. Routledge: London. ISBN 9781138847828

Abstract

Can the Internet re-configure political participation to be a more inclusive experience for users with disabilities, enhancing their stakes in democratic citizenship? So far scholars have erroneously conflated the complex relationship between disability and online technology into digital divide issues. While access and accessibility problems continue to prevent many impaired and chronically ill people from using the Internet independently, researchers should not ignore the experiences of the growing and enthusiastic majority among people with disabilities who regularly use online media in countries such as the UK and the U.S.<p></p> This book tackles this question by discussing the digitalization of disability rights advocacy in the United Kingdom and the United States in the wake of the on-going economic crisis and the political turmoil that surrounds it. Focusing on the online opposition to the reform of disability welfare launched by the UK government between 2010 and 2012, Filippo Trevisan discusses the role of online communication in three different types of advocacy groups; formal disability organizations; experienced self-advocates with disabilities who experimented with e-campaigning for the very first time; and, finally, a network of young bloggers with disabilities-cum-activists who operated exclusively online and rapidly gained visibility on the Internet as well as traditional news media. Each of these phenomena is explored in detail through the analysis of three emblematic case studies: The Hardest Hit; Disabled People Against Cuts; The Broken of Britain. In addition to an inventory of their Web presence and online campaigning practices, an in-depth investigation of their Facebook pages provides a detailed understanding of their structure, strategies, and leadership models. To assess the influence of contextual factors on these trends, the online experience of British formal disability organizations is compared to that of their American counterparts, which in the same period campaigned to oppose drastic cuts to federal funding for Medicaid.<p></p> By combining emerging digital methods such as hyperlink network analysis and established social science techniques including content analysis and semi-structured interviews, this book not only provides an in-depth analysis of the changing face of disability activism in Britain and America, but it reflects also on the ethical challenges posed by researching potentially sensitive issues online. This book is a welcomed addition to the growing field of interest on disability advocacy and online politics; a phenomenon widely debated and poorly understood. An indispensable read for scholars wishing to contextualize and enrich their knowledge on digital disability rights campaigns vis-à-vis the broader ecology of policy-making.

• Item Type: Books
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Trevisan, Dr Filippo
• Authors: Trevisan, F.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU
• Publisher: Routledge
• ISBN: 9781138847828