National Center on Disability and Journalism


The National Center on Disability and Journalism provides resources and support to journalists covering disability issues. It is headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

History

The center was founded in 1998 as the Disability Media Project to raise awareness of how people with disabilities are undercovered in the news.
Freelance photographer Suzanne Levine established the Disability Media Project in San Francisco to serve as a bridge between the media and disability communities. An advisory board of journalists, educators and disability activists helped develop resources for working journalists and for schools of journalism and mass communication to integrate coverage of people with disabilities into their curriculum.
In 2000, the organization's name was changed to the National Center on Disability and Journalism to reflect its journalistic mission as opposed to advocacy. The center was housed in the humanities building at San Francisco State University and for a short time in an office on Market Street in San Francisco. After moving to Boston in 2004, the NCDJ pursued an affiliation with a university journalism program.
In 2008, the center was moved to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in downtown Phoenix. It is directed by Associate Dean Kristin Gilger and staffed by a graduate assistant and several volunteers.

Focus

The focus of the NCDJ is to provide support, resources and guidance to reporters who cover disabilities as a beat as well as those who occasionally report on people with disabilities. Although at least 19 percent of the U.S. population have some kind of disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they are underrepresented in the mainstream media and that coverage is often inaccurate or incomplete.
On the center's website, there is a newsfeed of the latest stories covering disability issues as well as various resources including an oft-cited disability style guide explaining appropriate language and terms when describing disabilities and an interview tip sheet with best practices for reporters.

Advisory Board

The NCDJ Advisory Board in made up of working professional journalists and educators who help chart the course of the center and provide support and advice.
The Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability was created in 2012 as the first national journalism award devoted exclusively to disability coverage. It is administered by the National Center on Disability and Journalism through a grant from Schneider, a retired clinical psychologist who also supports the Schneider Family Book Award. Entries from print, broadcast and online outlets are accepted and judged based on how they go beyond the ordinary in covering the experiences of people with disabilities and how well they highlight strategies for overcoming challenges. The first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and an invitation to speak at the Cronkite School; the second-place winner receives a $1,500 award; and honorable mention awards of $500 may be given by the judges.
2013
First Place: "Broken Shield," California Watch, The Center for Investigative Reporting
Second Place: "The Autism Advantage," New York Times Magazine
Honorable Mention: "Playing by Ear," Narratively
Honorable Mention: "Second Chapter: A Portrait of Barry Corbet," Dartmouth Alumni Magazine