Complaints about CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell show that disability on screen shouldn’t be the story

26th February 2009

Public support for CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell, who was born with one hand, shows that most people accept disability on screen, says Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD).

Nine people complained about Ms Burnell’s disability to the BBC, with some parents saying it was distressing their children, but the vast majority of BBC viewers and listeners have supported her.

Clare Morrow is Network Manager of the Broadcasting and Creative Industries Network (BCIDN), which is part of EFD. Clare says: "It was very disappointing to see some of the criticisms, but we believe they are very much in the minority. The majority of parents who contacted the BBC expressed their support for Ms Burnell and rightly focused on her ability to do her job, not her disability."

BCIDN brings together the UK's major broadcasters, film-makers and others in the creative industries to explore and address disability as it relates to the media industry. In a You Gov survey for BCIDN:

• 78% of people questioned said they would have no problem with the main evening news being read by someone with a disability,
• 77% disagreed that they would find it offensive to see a disabled person presenting a programme like a chat show, and
• 61% disagreed with the statement "I don't want to see people with disfigurements or 'severe' disabilities in mainstream programming such as soaps or quiz shows".

Clare continued: "These views suggest that TV audiences generally expect to see disabled people on television, just as they expect them to be part of daily life in the UK today.

"Children and young people are generally pretty accepting of disability, because inclusion in schools and elsewhere means they are growing up with it, and in most families parents are perfectly comfortable about disability too.

"While there is still work to be done, we believe we've seen better inclusion of disability on screen recently than ever before.  We're beginning to move away from disabled people being viewed as special, into programmes where their disability is just part of who they are and not the story."

Ends

Notes to editors

Media enquiries, please contact:

Liz Nightingale, Communications Manager
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: liz.nightingale@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020

About Employers' Forum on Disability

Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.

www.efd.org.uk