Social media discourse on needs of people with disabilities

How are the needs of people with disabilities being discussed on social media? The NGO “Civic Alternative” decided to find answers to this question. At the request of the organization and with the support of the League of the Strong, NGO CAT UA conducted a relevant monitoring.

The results were obtained from the most widespread and relevant sources, where different respondents can calmly and openly express their opinions.

According to the data for the first half of 2023, more than 1,200 resources, social networks and media have been used to create more or less clear statistics on the issues that concern people with various disabilities. For the most part, these respondents do not go on stage, but seek support on social media because they have access to it. The research was conducted on such aspects as social status and assistance, development of barrier-free access, access to medical services and medicines, employment and employment, and service provision.

Based on the issues raised by people with disabilities, the following trends were identified:

  • The most active are the authors of questions and speakers of the platforms, while all other participants take a more passive stance;
  • during the war, special attention is paid to men, while the issues of women and the elderly are not covered sufficiently;
  • a free information environment gives impetus to lively discussions – the target audience does not hesitate to speak openly;
  • statistics show greater coverage in the media space compared to previous periods;
  • objectification of problems in social media helps to reveal certain issues with the use of illustrations;
  • media coverage and visibility in the press reveals the immediate needs of these groups of people and attracts public attention;
  • the issue of violence against people with disabilities generally remains out of the public eye.

This document was produced by the KRF “Public Alternative” as part of the programme ‘Ukraine war: Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) led disability inclusive response and recovery’, which is in collaboration with the European Disability Forum (EDF). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and other funders. The KRF “Public Alternative” have all ownership and editorial control of the content in this document. Read more about EDF work in Ukraine on the EDF website.

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