2025/10/01 by Ana Guadalupe Gallego, Camino Ferreira, Ana Rosa Arias Gago · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Spanish Culture and Identity #Subtitles and Audiovisual Media #Media, Gender, and Advertising
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/disabilities5040087
openalex publication_date 2025/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Film and television play a key role in shaping cultural perceptions of disability, but they often rely on recurring stereotypes that may reinforce stigma and exclusion. Although scholarly interest in this issue has increased, the academic literature remains fragmented and lacks a comprehensive synthesis. This critical review examines how disability is represented through stereotypical portrayals in narrative audiovisual media, specifically scripted films and television series. It synthesizes peer-reviewed studies that explicitly analyze these representations and their narrative or sociocultural functions. The review identifies dominant tropes, theoretical frameworks, and disciplinary approaches while providing a qualitative synthesis of key trends and findings. Although persistent stereotypes are still common, the review also highlights a growing presence of more inclusive and complex portrayals that challenge traditional norms. By providing a structured overview of existing research, this study enhances academic understanding of how disability is depicted on screen and supports efforts to promote more inclusive and accurate representations in popular media.