Media Coverage of Disability Rights Over Time

The graph above depicts the results of a Lexis Nexis search for "disability rights" within major U.S. and World publications, major world publications (non-English), news wire services, TV and radio broadcasts, and blogs for every year from 1976 to 2008. From the mid 1980's, the prevalence of disability rights in media publications begins to rise. 1997-1999 mark a sharp increase in newspapers, newswires, and press releases. At this time, the British government established a Disability Rights Commission with a Taskforce, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously for equal access and equal benefit, and activism and awareness was on the rise in the United States. The peak of magazine and journal articles and news transcripts in 2005 is most likely due to the UN's adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Although these changes are heartening, a causal relationship between this increased media attention and the disability rights agenda is unclear. Did positive action spur media attention? Or did media attention help galvanize and popularize the global disability rights movement? Increasing media coverage in the mid 1980's suggests a possible positive effect on the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is hard to say whether this affects the global agenda. On the one hand, trends often follow the United States. The Lexis Nexis search shows predominantly American publications in the mid 80's with increasing presence over the next decade. On the other hand, the period 1997-1999 is dominated by news from the U.K. and Canada in the first few pages of search results.

One possible explanation is activity in the United States up to and after the ADA was passed aided international attention and action on the same issues. This action exploded from 1997-1999, with the reporting and/or prodding of newspapers, newswires, and press releases, and maintained momentum through the 2006 adoption of the CRPD. High numbers of news transcripts, journals, and magazines from 2006-2007 are indicative of increased reporting due to major headlines, i.e. the adoption and entry into force of the CRPD.

Newspapers, newswires, magazines, journals, and news transcripts are not the only media publications the Lexis Nexis search turned up. The presence of legislative histories, legal news, and newsletters beginning in the mid 90's (see graph below) as well as country and region reports, bills and bill tracking, and statistics, beginning around 2001 (see graph below) is strongly indicative of increasing salience of disability rights. Legal news as well as bills and bill tracking peak in 2005, just when the CRPD is being finalized. Legislative histories peak in 2004, when the Convention's articles are being written. Newsletters peak just before this in 2002-2003, just when a public relations push may have been necessary. Statistics and country and region reports generally show a steady increase over time. Interestingly, the number of blogs cited in Lexis Nexis (not shown) increased from 6 in 2006 to 85 in 2007 and 88 in 2008. This may indicate increasing salience.


The role of media coverage and the global disability rights movement is not unilateral. At times, it appears to respond to actions by organizations and governments, such as increasing coverage during the mid 80's. At others, it appears media coverage may increase or sustain the attention of organizations and government, such as the high rates of coverage occurring in present day. A discernible pattern is not yet apparent.