Table 1
Information gathered about newspaper article contributors.
| Relationship | Person with disabilities | Relative | ||
| Contributor for whom a disability has been publicly acknowledged. | Contributor who identifies as a family member of a person with a disability. | |||
| Social role | Public figure | Expert by experience | ||
| People with disabilities or their relatives who engage in the public sphere, such as activists or board members of DPOs. | People with disabilities or relatives without a public role. | |||
| Age group | Adolescents | Young adults | Adults | Seniors |
| Under 18 | Ages 18–30 | Ages 31–60 | Above 60 | |
| Disability type | Autism | Intellectual disabilities | Physical disabilities | Sensory disabilities |
| Down syndrome and/or intellectual disabilities | E.g., cerebral palsy, cleft lip and palate, growth restriction, or spinal cord injury | Hearing disabilities or visual disabilities | ||
| Onset of the disability | Congenital disabilities | Acquired disabilities | ||
| E.g., autism, cerebral palsy, cleft lip and palate, Down syndrome | E.g., spinal cord injury | |||
Table 2
Contributors’ backgrounds and roles.
| PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (N = 148; 60%) | RELATIVES (N = 98; 40%) | TOTAL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXPERTS BY EXPERIENCE | PUBLIC FIGURES | EXPERTS BY EXPERIENCE | PUBLIC FIGURES | |||
| Total | 107(43%) | 41(17%) | 77(31%) | 21(9%) | 246(100%) | |
| Gender | Female | 43(40%) | 11(27%) | 47(61%) | 10(48%) | 111(45%) |
| Male | 51(48%) | 28(68%) | 17(22%) | 11(52%) | 107(43%) | |
| Undisclosed | 13(12%) | 2(5%) | 13(17%) | 0(0%) | 28(11%) | |
| Age group | Adolescents(under 18) | 12(11%) | 1(2%) | 2(3%) | 0(0%) | 15(6%) |
| Young adults(ages 18–30)1 | 22(20%) | 2(5%) | 1(1%) | 0(0%) | 25(10%) | |
| Adults(ages 31–60)1 | 28(26%) | 26(63%) | 13(17%) | 13(62%) | 80(32%) | |
| Seniors(above 60) | 6(6%) | 3(7%) | 10(13%) | 0(0%) | 19(8%) | |
| Unknown | 40(37%) | 9(22%) | 51(66%) | 8(38%) | 108(44%) | |
| Disability type | Autism2 | 10(9%) | 4(10%) | 9(11%) | 4(17%) | 27(11%) |
| Intellectual disability/ Down syndrome2 | 16(15%) | 0(0%) | 50(63%) | 13(57%) | 79(31%) | |
| Physical disability | 57(53%) | 29(71%) | 6(8%) | 3(13%) | 95(38%) | |
| Sensory disability | 24(22%) | 8(20%) | 14(18%) | 3(13%) | 49(20%) | |
| Onset | Acquired disability | 15(14%) | 4(10%) | 6(8%) | 0(0%) | 26(11%) |
| Congenital disability | 55(51%) | 20(29%) | 53(69%) | 12(57%) | 138(56%) | |
| Unknown | 37(35%) | 17(41%) | 18(23%) | 9(43%) | 82(33%) | |
| Contribution | Interview3 | 72(66%) | 27(66%) | 27(35%) | 13(57%) | 139(55%) |
| Opinion piece3 | 37(34%) | 14(34%) | 51(65%) | 10(43%) | 112(45%) | |
[i] 1 One contributor was of unknown age in one contribution and an adult in a later contribution.
2 Two contributors were relatives of a person with autism and intellectual disability.
3 Several contributions have multiple contributors. Some of the contributors are both authors and interviewees.
Figure 1
Theme Terminology objections.
Figure 2
Theme Constructive comments.
Figure 3
Theme Resistance.