Yes, I can: the representation of persons with disabilities in the video “We're the Superhumans” of the Channel 4

Abstract

This paper sets out to answer the following question: how are people with disabilities portrayed in the video “We're the Superhumans” produced by the english channel, Channel 4, and released by the IPC to promote the Rio 2016 Paralympics Games? As a methodological basis, we used discourse analysis and listed two categories: Disability Spectacularization (supercrip) and Representation of people with disabilities. We identified that people with disabilities were presented from the perspective of social and sports skills and abilities. The piece of advertising was restricted to convey contents that promote the surprise and the enchantment of the public, omitting sometimes problematic of this universe, as well as the question of accessibility. We also note the mobilization of three elements for the representation of people with disabilities: 1 - Nationalist discourse; 2 - The information mediation of the Paralympic modalities; And 3 - The projection of the future from the image of the child and new sports modalities.