Photos and filming

Do

Ask the person how they would like to be depicted.

Instead of

Guessing or assuming.

Do

Show the person’s disability and mobility or assistive equipment only if it is critical to the story.

Instead of

Using gratuitous cutaways of wheelchairs, canes, hearing aids and other devices that are not critical to a story.

Do

Depict the person with disability as having autonomy over their own life.

Instead of

Including the person’s carers or family in photos or video unless they are also part of the story.

Do

Show real people who live with disability.

Instead of

Using fake stock images of people without disability posing as people with disability.

Employing images of mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, as generic images for a story about disability.

Do

Consider interviewing people with disability for stories that are not about disability, as they are a regular part of the community.

Instead of

Only interviewing people with disability for disability-related stories.

Do

Show people with disability doing everyday things, such as catching public transport, working or shopping.

Instead of

Only showing people without disability doing everyday activities.

Portraying people with disability doing everyday things as superheroes.

Showing people with disability in segregated or congregated settings (for example disability units in schools or sheltered employment settings), unless doing so directly illustrates the story.

Do

Highlight a diverse range of people with disability, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with disability who hold positions of power and authority.

Instead of

Using stereotypical images of people with disability. Many stock images fit this category. Some show models portraying people with disability.

Do

Film or photograph a person using a wheelchair at their level.

Instead of

Looking down on a person using a wheelchair in an image, which can portray people as objects of pity.

Do

Show autistic people going about their lives in images of people with autism.

Instead of

Employing the stereotype of autistic children with therapists or doctors — or images of puzzle pieces, which implies autism is a jigsaw or mystery. Many autistic adults find this offensive.