Tata Steel, TSF host media workshop on disability awareness
Jamshedpur, Sept 25: Tata Steel and Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) jointly organized a Media Awareness Workshop on Disability at Sabal centre to promote inclusive and responsible media representation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The initiative brought together journalists from across the city to deliberate on how media communication can influence public perception and policy and ultimately create a more inclusive society.
The workshop aimed to sensitize media professionals on the importance of accurate, respectful and empowering portrayal of disability. Sessions included discussions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, ethical storytelling, types of disabilities, language sensitivity and five guiding principles of ethical media representation.
Adding lived perspectives, PwDs associated with Tata Steel’s Sabal Program shared their journeys. These included Md. Rafiqu, a Fogging Machine Operator at TSUISL, Meena Kumari, Subject Matter Expert on Visual Impairment, and Balbir Kour, RJ at Radio Uddan. Their stories highlighted the importance of opportunity, dignity and fair portrayal in mainstream narratives.
On the occasion of the International Day of Sign Language, participating journalists also learned the basics of Indian Sign Language, marking a step towards bridging communication gaps with the hearing-impaired community.
In his address, Captain Amitabh, Head of Skill Development at Tata Steel Foundation, spoke about the “concept of invisibility.” He pointed out that society often treated disability as something unseen or hidden, when in reality it was an integral part of human diversity.
“The problem we face is not invisibility, but our way of thinking,” he said. Citing the Census of India 2011, he explained that while 2.21% of the population had reported living with a disability at the time, the World Health Organization estimated that globally around 15% of people lived with one or more disabilities. “Many families in India still prefer to hide disability due to stigma, which only adds to the invisibility,” he observed.
Drawing comparisons with populations of entire nations, Captain Amitabh underlined the scale of disability in India and its impact on the country’s workforce. “If society is not inclusive, how will our society move forward?” he asked, emphasizing that the maximum number of people living with disabilities were youth, who could and should be contributing productively if barriers were removed.
Through vivid examples, he highlighted how PwDs often developed skills superior to others, such as visually impaired individuals mastering technology at exceptional speed. He urged media professionals to use correct terminology, avoid stereotypes, and highlight abilities rather than limitations. “There is no need for sympathy. We must be human and respect dignity. If we can change even 10% of our thinking towards inclusion, it will be a success,” he concluded.
The workshop ended with a collective call for media houses to adopt disability-inclusive editorial practices and ensure fair, accurate and empowering representation across both print and digital platforms.
