ID: Audiobooks.com’s website for Disabled People Transforming Media Culture for a More Inclusive World. The light blue and white cover of the book is in a dark blue square. To its right is the title of the book and text that reads WRITTEN BY: Beth A. Haller and NARRATED BY: Andrea Emmes, Unabridged Audiobook. Under that is an orange and white button that says Play Now. Small text as the bottom says, GIVE AS A GIFT with a wrapped present icon in front of it.
Beth Haller's Disabled People Transforming Media Culture for a More Inclusive World, "tells the stories of disabled people who have been influential in creating modern mass media".
Through the voices of key disabled media makers and collaborators, the author highlights the ways in which their contributions are changing society’s understanding of disability and shaping mass media and culture. Spanning a range of media formats – television/streaming productions, performances, podcasts, TED Talks, films, reality TV, graphic novels, and social media channels – the book illustrates how disabled people are confronting the marginalization they have faced in mass media for decades. Modern disabled media creators are leveraging new media platforms to recognize the lived experiences of disability and their authentic place in media culture.
The 2023 book from Taylor & Francis has an Open Access e-book version here.
In 2025, the audiobook version arrived: https://www.audiobooks.com/.../disabled-people.../843233 It was recorded by Andrea Emmes, a talented narrator who identifies as disabled, www.andreaemmes.com.
What me and my friends are seeing in London reflects a wave of disability media all over the world. In her recent open-access book Disabled People Transforming Media Culture for a More Inclusive World, Beth A. Haller argues that today’s disabled artists are changing perceptions of disability and shaping mass media and culture.
Haller proposes a few reasons for this. First, there’s a growing, global conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion, with a hunger for ‘underrepresented’ voices. Secondly, new media and technologies have democratised video production, making storytelling accessible like never before. Meanwhile, disabled creators have flourished on social media, showing us glimpses of their daily lives and destigmatising difference.
With the rise of streaming platforms, the way we consume content has also changed. By using a subscription- rather than ad-based model, streamers are able to take bigger risks and commission original content. Disability stories are being funded, as well as recognised in awards seasons. On Netflix, recent disabled-led titles have ranged from American disability rights documentary Crip Camp to Zambian drama about life with albinism, Can You See Us?. Disabled characters are gaining their own complex storylines in some of the platform’s biggest shows.
Of course, disability media isn’t only being made in the Anglosphere. Whether it’s K-pop or carnival, the Debrief library shares artists and creators making disability media all across the globe. We can look to Argentina, where 2021 TV series Four Feet High explores sex and relationships from the perspective of a 17 year old wheelchair-user. Or to Uganda, where SignsTV provides news bulletins in sign language.
I wonder if the focus of the disability movement has shifted. As accessibility has become more enshrined in our laws globally, has our focus moved from legislation to representation? Are our leading activists now more likely to be holding a camera to the world than holding a placard at a protest?
Perhaps we can even see some of this transition in the life of Judy Heumann. Her leadership in disability rights came out of fighting a legal case, and she played key roles in US disability legislation as well as the UN convention. And in her later life, she embraced the power of storytelling, pouring her energies into social media, a documentary, a memoir and a podcast.
