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WETA invites you to a preview screening of The Mosque in Morgantown Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. Georgetown University * Copley Hall * Copley Formal Lounge 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20057 * Between Healy Hall and White Gravenor Hall, across from the North Entrance to the University Seating is limited and reservations are required. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to Kate Kelly online or by phone at 703-998-2072 The evening includes a panel discussion on the theme of advocacy journalism, featuring film subject Asra Nomani, the co-director of Georgetown Unviersity's Pearl Project Investigation, and Barbara Feinman Todd, Associate Dean of Journalism at Georgetown University.  In the film, Nomani confronts extremism at her hometown mosque in Morgantown, West Virginia. Watch The Mosque in Morgantown on WETA TV 26 Monday, June 15 at 10 p.m. FOR PRESS: Interviews are available with Director/Producer Brittany Huckabee and Film Subject/Author Asra Nomani.  Please contact National Publicity Manager Kate Kelly at kkelly@weta.com or 703-998-2072.

 

 

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Georgetown University

Center for Child and Human Development

and the

School of Continuing Studies, Journalism Program

invite you to

Framing Disability: The Influence of Media Representation

Monday, June 15, 2009

12:00-4:00 PM

Copley Formal Lounge

37th and O St. NW

Washington, D.C.

 

Light lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m.

The forum begins promptly at 12:00 noon

Please RSVP at framingdisabilities@gmail.com or call (202) 687-8742.

(Please inform us of any special accommodations you may need when you RSVP)

 

According to the US Census Bureau 54 million Americans have a disability, representing 18% of the population. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of Americans with disabilities increased 25 percent, outpacing any other subgroup of the U.S. population. With an aggregate income of $1 trillion and $220 billion of discretionary spending people with disabilities is an often ignored market.  

Media, especially news organizations, has the ability to raise awareness, clarify information, and educate the public on issues as diverse as foreign policy and fashion.  Although mass media has the potential to “socially construct images of people with disabilities” positively, in reality, it often perpetuates stereotypes by depicting individuals with disabilities as dependent, helpless, burdens, threats, or heroes. According to the Special Olympics more than 80% of U.S. adults surveyed felt that media portrayals were an obstacle to the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.

The symposium, Framing Disability: The Influence of Media Representation, will explore issues related to the representation of persons with disabilities in the media and how this representation can influence the public’s attitudes and perpetuate stereotypes which in turn influence decisions regarding school placement, employment opportunities, housing choices, use of public transportation, access to health care, and a host of other activities, programs, and supports that are available to all citizens.

 

Plenary Speaker

Judy Woodruff           Senior Correspondent for the PBS Newshour

 

Panelists:

·   Leon Dash, Swanlund Chair and Professor of Journalism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

·   Tawara Goode, Director, National Center for Cultural Competence

·   Beth Haller, Professor, Mass Communication & Communication Studies, Towson University

·   Deborah Perry, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University

·   Nolana Yip, Lecturer, Department of English, Georgetown University

·   Jody Wildly, Diversity Program Manager at the Office of Diversity, Management and Equal Opportunity at the Department of Health and Human Services

 

For information about the event’s sponsors, please see

·   Georgetown University, http://georgetown.edu

·   Center for Child and Human Development, http://gucchd.georgetown.edu

·   School of Continuing Studies, Journalism Program, http://www12.georgetown.edu/scs/mps/journalism/home.cfm

The Center for Child and Human Development was established over four decades ago to improve the quality of life for all children and youth especially those with special needs, and their families.  The Center is founded on an interdisciplinary approach to service, training, research, community outreach, technical assistance, and public policy.

The Master in Professional Studies Journalism program fuses traditional journalism and "new" media. As innovative technology formats change the way news is delivered, the critical skills remain the same: careful, patient reporting, sophisticated storytelling, and sound, ethical judgment. The MPS Journalism graduate degree program emphasizes all of the elements needed to be a successful, adaptable journalist.

 

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