Media and disability. Journalistic Representations, Digital Practices and Social Justice 

For this special issue of Problemi dell’Informazione, we are looking for papers that offer perspectives and methods to analyse how disability shapes media narratives and technologies, as well as how media represent and construct disabled bodies and subjects – and the world that surrounding them (caregivers, institutions and disability policies). Both a theoretical and empirical contributions are invited, provided provided they offer original insights for advancing reflection within the field. Below we outline a non-exhaustive set of possible thematic directions, which may also intersect with one another: 1. disability and Critical Media Studies: theoretical and methodological perspectives, approaches, methods of study, intersectionality; 2. frames and representations of the world of disability in information, mainstream journalism and social journalism; 3. frames and representations of the world of disability in mass-media narratives: literature, cinema, radio, theatre, etc.; 4. representations and narrative practices on disability in the platforms and “conversations” of online networks; 5. mainstream and specialist journalism on disability, disability influencers, editorial practices, disability-led media practices; 6. disability and social, institutional and political communication: disability campaigns, representation of people with disabilities and disability in diversity and inclusion policies, advocacy strategies, etc.; 7. disability and visual representations: problems and strategies of visual representation of disabilities, physical and cognitive; 8. disability and accessibility: inclusive communication practices; accessibility technologies and policies; social justice and medial citizenship processes. Guest editors: Gaia Peruzzi & Raffaele Lombardi Abstracts (300-500 words plus references) in English or Italian should be submitted at LINK Deadline: January 31, 2026
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