OBSERVARE
Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier
International Relations and Social Networks
July 2021
93
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES REFLECTED IN THE
SOCIAL DISCOURSE OF THE MAIN DISABILITY ORGANISATIONS IN SPAIN
ISMAEL LÓPEZ-CEPEDA
ismaellopezcepeda@ucm.es
Marketing and Publicity Degree professor. PhD candidate in Audiovisual Communication and
Advertising Doctoral Program at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). Member of the
project "Visual map of professional orientation for the Degree in Advertising and Public Relations"
at the Complutense University of Madrid.
LUIS MAÑAS-VINIEGRA
lmanas@ucm.es
Professor in the Department of Applied Communication Studies at Complutense University of
Madrid (Spain). He holds a PhD in Audiovisual Communication and Advertising with Extraordinary
Award from the same University. His research interests include the management of intangibles in
Communication
HIPÓLITO VIVAR-ZURITA
hvivar@ucm.es
Professor of Information Technologies and Audiovisual Communication at the Complutense
University of Madrid (Spain). Director of the research group FONTA (Training in New Audiovisual
Technologies) officially recognized by the UCM. Currently I direct as Principal Investigator the
national project 'Inclusion and Employment of people with disabilities in the audiovisual sector'
(COMPENSA).
Abstract
Ever since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place
in 2006, the promotion of fundamental rights for this group has been continuous, fostering
social inclusion to reduce the stereotypes and prejudices that had prevailed until that time.
The aim of this research is to analyse the discourse on social networks of the main
associations, foundations, as well as public and private organisations with regard to disability
in Spain on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020, in order to identify the
topics that generate the highest level of interaction among the different profiles on social
networks. The results suggest that despite the limited reach of these organisations on social
networks, their discourse is based on fundamental rights such as participation and inclusion,
accessibility, individual autonomy, and equal opportunity, which provide greater knowledge
and a positive vision of persons with disabilities to society as a whole, raising awareness about
stereotypes, prejudices and hate speech that are still common.
Keywords
Disability, Human rights, Social media, Inclusion, Accessibility.
How to cite this article
López-Cepeda, Ismael; Mañas-Viniegra, Luis; Vivar-Zurita, Hipólito. Fundamental rights of
people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse of the main disability organisations in
Spain. Thematic dossier International Relations and Social Networks, July 2021. Consulted
[online] on date of last visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT21.7
Article received on December24, 2020 and accepted for publication on February 23, 2021
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
94
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
REFLECTED IN THE SOCIAL DISCOURSE OF THE MAIN
DISABILITY ORGANISATIONS IN SPAIN
1
2
ISMAEL LÓPEZ-CEPEDA
LUIS MAÑAS-VINIEGRA
HIPÓLITO VIVAR-ZURITA
Introduction
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006) was a
milestone in the struggle against the exclusion suffered by people with disabilities within
the UN human rights system, even though its recognition in subsequent agreements has
only sometimes been comprehensive, often limited to formal statements (Skarstad and
Stein, 2018). Today, there continues to be a clash between personal identity and the
social construction of disability (Tsatsou, 2020). Stigma, discrimination, and social
exclusion of this group has been continual from the point of view of societal aspects,
health, transport, housing, education, employment, and public services, as well as the
negative image transmitted through the media (Oliver, 2004).
Recognition of the social model of disability has allowed us to move beyond medical
circumstances affecting people with disabilities to focus on the social, political, legal and
attitudinal experiences affecting people with disabilities, which require a greater
understanding of justice (Riddle, 2020). Although people with disabilities are now
recognised beyond their disability, a stronger social model is needed to enable people
with disabilities to prosper and be more active in order to change society and its values,
to uphold the dignity of the lives of people with disabilities, and to reflect on the social
values being sought through struggle, which are not always clear in many laws and
reports related to this issue (Berghs et al., 2019). Despite the consolidation of the right
to a dignified life, society still has not achieved a high level of inclusion, not to mention
the disadvantages that may or may not arise from disability (Riddle, 2020a), as well as
from regulatory rulings that limit a positive connotation of group differences (which
critical disability studies aim to eliminate), and prejudices that use dissimilarity to criticise
1
Article translated by Charles Edmond Arthur.
2
Project PID2019-105398RB-C21. Disability and Digital Skills in the Audio-visual Sector (COMPENSA), funded
by the Ministry of Science and Innovation - State Research Agency/10.13039/501100011033.
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
95
disability (Vehmas and Watson, 2014). Both the social model of disability, or in other
words, the social injustice and stigma associated with disability that can be eliminated,
and the human rights model (disability policy), are actually complementary, with the
latter having greater importance in the legal and policy-oriented context, yet both models
focus the main problem on social factors outside the individual (Lawson and Beckett,
2020).
The use of adaptive ICTs has highlighted skills development for the independence of
young people with disabilities (Pacheco, Lips and Yoong, 2019), although it has taken a
very long time to bridge the disability digital divide through accessibility as well as
inclusive, innovative design (Pullin, 2011). Thus, people with disabilities have had to
adapt to techno-social standards, and infrastructure has had to undergo a redesign in
order to accommodate this situation (Yu et al., 2019), even though there is also digital
exclusion that affects people based on the type and degree of disability, digital skills, and
socio-economic circumstances (Dobransky and Hargittai, 2016). Specifically, the third-
level theory of the digital divide focuses less on digital access and usability and more on
the social, economic, and personal consequences of digital access (Ragnedda, 2017). In
fact, young people with disabilities actively interact with adaptive technology in the same
way as their non-disabled peers in their inclusion at the university level (Pacheco, Yoong
and Lips, 2020).
Social networks have also enabled people with physical disabilities to gain instrumental
and informational support, with positive effects on building social reinforcement, lower
tendency toward symptoms of depression (Lee and Cho, 2018), and greater social
integration of people who are more isolated outside the online environment (Banjanin et
al., 2015). Likewise, people with intellectual disabilities have had positive experiences on
social networks in terms of friendships, social identity development, self-esteem and
enjoyment (Caton and Chapman, 2016). Social support can be received structurally from
the point of view of the extent and form of structural connections, or functionally,
consisting of emotional, instrumental or practical help, informational support, and self-
evaluation in relation to others (House, 1981; Sherbourne and Stewart, 1991).
Social networks also allow individuals to control how and when they disclose information
about their disability based on their online relationships, or in other words, whether they
choose to do so in a way that is open, safe, or limited (Furr, Carreiro and McArthur,
2015). However, it seems that the psychological benefits of using digital technology
result primarily from the anonymity with which people with disabilities interact on the
Internet and social networks (Tsatsou, 2020), although a person can build their identity
in a positive way until they decide to disclose their disability (Bowker and Tuffin, 2002).
The most recent studies conducted in medical centres have revealed that half of the
patients surveyed who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities do not use
mobile devices (44.6%), and that the majority (86.8%) do not use social networks
(Patrick et al., 2020).
Consequently, this research aims to answer the following questions: How are the
fundamental rights of people with disabilities disseminated on social networks that
represent them? What social discourse is transmitted during the International Day of
Persons with Disabilities? Which posts on social networks achieve greater interaction
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
96
depending on the informative, commemorative, or vindicatory messages they
disseminate?
Methodology
The overall objective of this research is to analyse the content published on social
networks on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020 in order to identify
the social discourse of specialised organisations.
The specific objectives are as follows:
- Identify public and private organisations specialising in disability that generated posts
on their social networks on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020.
- Determine which fundamental rights are explicitly addressed in their social discourse.
- Identify what type of content attains the highest level of interaction.
- Compare the reach that the organisations obtain through the social networks they use.
The quantitative content analysis was carried out using on-demand computational tools
that use the API of the four main social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
YouTube. All the posts were collected for the date analysed and ranked according to the
highest number of interactions they received, while the data on the interactions attained
was recorded from their date of publication until 11 January 2021. A qualitative analysis
of these posts was also carried out using Atlas.ti v.8.4.4 software, which has helped to
reduce the number of redundant concepts that are present in social discourse
(Benavides-Delgado, 2005).
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was chosen based on its status as a
day on which commemorative and vindicatory discourses converge, so that specialised
organisations communicate their priorities within their main areas of activity. The
selection of the sample was based on the directory of public and private organisations
that operate in Spain and specialise in people with disabilities. The directory has been
developed within the framework of the COMPENSA R&D&i project
(https://proyectocompensa.es/datos) and has involved the analysis of all the posts of
the 18 organisations that have met the requirements of having operational social
networks, or in other words, that have updated content, and that published messages on
social networks on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020. The directory
includes the following organisations: Asociación Empresarial para la Discapacidad
[Business association for disability] (AEDIS); Asociación de Atención a Personas con
Discapacidad Intelectual [Association for the Care of People with Intellectual Disabilities]
(APSA); Federación Española de Enfermedades Neuromusculares [Spanish Federation of
Neuromuscular Diseases] (ASEM); Confederación Española de Asociaciones de Atención
a las Personas con Parálisis Cerebral [Spanish Confederation of Associations for the Care
of Persons with Cerebral Palsy] (ASPACE); Asociación Española de Familias de Personas
con Sordoceguera [Spanish Association of Families of People with Deafblindness]
(APASCIDE); Asociación Proyecto Autismo [Autism Project Association] (ASPAU);
Autismo España [Autism Spain]; Comité Español de Representantes de Personas con
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
97
Discapacidad [Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities]
(CERMI); Confederación Estatal de Personas Sordas [State Confederation of Deaf People]
(CNSE); Confederación Española de Personas con Discapacidad Física y Orgánica
[Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities] (COCEMFE);
Down España [Down’s Syndrome Spain]; Federación Española de Daño de Cerebral
[Spanish Federation of Brain Injury] (FEDACE); Confederación Española de Familias de
Personas Sordas [Spanish Confederation of Families of Deaf People] (FIAPAS); Fundación
ONCE [ONCE Foundation]; Ilunion; Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles [Spanish
National Organisation of the Blind] (ONCE); Plena Inclusión; and Servimedia.
Results
Typologies, resources and scope of the posts
The 18 disability organisations that made up the final sample posted a total of 122
messages on social media on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Figure
1), excluding those that referred to news unrelated to disability: 43 on Facebook, 50 on
Twitter, 25 on Instagram, and 4 videos on YouTube.
Figure 1. Total number of posts per social network
Source: Prepared by the authors
Organisations specialising in people with disabilities hardly make any reference to the
specific purpose of their activity (Figure 2), beyond generalities with regard to providing
care service or information about people with disabilities. Twitter is the site where the
organisations make the most references to their objectives in their posts, accounting for
30% of the posts published, followed by YouTube (25%), Instagram (20%) and Facebook
(18.60%). In this way, the opportunity to spread information about the specific problems
affecting the particular group in which they specialise is lost, although one can observe
35%
41%
20%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Total number of posts (n=122)
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
98
that there is a tendency for associations with less communicative resources to join larger
and more representative organisations in order to show solidarity or support their
initiatives.
Figure 2. References made regarding the mission of the organisations in their posts
Source: Prepared by the authors
With regard to the audio-visual resources used by the organisations in their posts (Figure
3), they fail to take advantage of the possibilities offered by these resources to facilitate
access for people with disabilities, despite the specialised nature of these organisations.
Thus, the use of accessible video with subtitles is low, even with sign language dubbing
in the case of ONCE, ONCE Foundation, and Ilunion, and is only present in 16% of the
posts on Twitter, 12% on Instagram, 11.63% on Facebook, and 50% on YouTube, the
latter figure being influenced by the fact that the two videos are published by the largest
organisation in the sector, which is the ONCE Foundation.
The other half of the videos on YouTube (even though there are only two) are not
subtitled, which could entail accessibility problems for users with certain types of
disabilities. The presence of these videos is reduced to 4.65% on Facebook and 2% on
Twitter, with no cases identified on Instagram. The use of the organisation’s logo, or an
anniversary, as the only image provided occurs on Facebook (4.65% of the posts) and
Twitter (4%), with text appearing as the only resource mainly on Twitter (14% of posts)
and to a lesser extent on Facebook (4.65%). In any case, images are the visual resource
most heavily used on the three main social networks, with a higher incidence on
Instagram (88%) than on Facebook (72.09%) and Twitter (64%), despite the fact that
no use is made of either tags or alternative text with descriptions that facilitate
accessibility for all people with disabilities.
In the discourse on social networks of organisations specialising in people with
disabilities, which is developed in the following section, there are frequent references to
18,60%
30,00%
20,00%
25,00%
81,40%
70,00%
80,00%
75,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
References made regarding the mission of the organisations in their posts
Yes No
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
99
the need for a digital transition in which technological innovation would foster inclusion
and accessibility to information and communication. However, the use of technology is
minimal, both in the resources used and in the discourse that emanates from the posts
on social networks of these associations and foundations: QR codes, traditional audio-
visual content (TV commercials, animated videos), Zoom video conferences, infographics
with data, a live broadcast on Instagram on one occasion, an award-winning accessible
app, and the setting up of a laboratory by people with intellectual disabilities.
Figure 3. Audio-visual resources used in the posts
Source: Prepared by the authors
In relation to audio-visual resources, an analysis as to whether the information published
is expanded through links has also been conducted (Figure 4). This question is relevant
given the lack of accessible technological and audio-visual resources detected. However,
in three of the four social networks analysed, the percentages of the posts that have a
link are between 50% (YouTube) and 58% (Twitter), with an exceptionally high presence
only on Instagram, where 84% of the posts include a link that usually leads to the text
of the websites where associations and foundations have greater chances of providing
accessible formats for the information produced.
72,09%
64,00%
88,00%
11,63%
16,00%
12,00%
50,00%
4,65%
2,00%
50,00%
4,65%
4,00%
6,98%
14,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Auvio-visual resources used in the posts
Images Subtitled videos Videos without subtitles Logo Text only
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Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
100
Figure 4. Links used in the posts
Source: Prepared by the authors
Disability organisations are also missing the opportunity to extend the reach of their
posts by not using specific hashtags (#) (Figure 5) for the International Day of Persons
with Disabilities, for the organisation promoting the publication, or both, which would be
the most effective. In fact, the majority of the posts on all the social networks do not use
any of these hashtags, especially on YouTube (absence in 75% of all posts) and
Instagram (72%), in contrast to Facebook (55.81%) and Twitter (44%).
The hashtag for International Day is the most heavily used on all the social networks,
although there is clearly no consensus on the use of a representative hashtag, as several
names have appeared, sometimes according to the date, and at other times according
to the name of the entire commemorative day, or a short version of it, which makes it
even more difficult to achieve the desired reach of the posts. On Facebook, the hashtag
of International Day and the of the posting organisations is present in 18.60% of the
posts, whereas 6.98% use both hashtags. Twitter, however, is the social network where
both the hashtag of International Day (36%) and the of the organisation itself (8%) are
most used. On Instagram, the hashtag of International Day appears in 16% of the posts,
yet never appears in combination with the of the organisation, and on YouTube, the
hashtag of International Day appears in 25% of the posts, yet it never appears together
with the of the organisation. On both Twitter and Instagram, the hashtag representing
the organisation is present in 12% of the posts, while it is not used in any of the posts
analysed on YouTube.
53,49%
58,00%
84,00%
50,00%
46,51%
42,00%
16,00%
50,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Links used in the posts
Link No link
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
101
Figure 5. Hashtags used in the posts
Source: Prepared by the authors
Facebook is the social network on which a higher number of organisations are present
(Figure 6), and is similar for Twitter (18 vs. 14, respectively), precisely because they are
the two most widely-used social networks among the older public, and consequently
easier to manage for organisations that often have a shortage of specialised staff. The
most active organisations on Facebook are ASPAU (11.63% of posts), CERMI (11.63%),
COCEMFE (11.63%), Servimedia (9.30%) and FIAPAS (6.8%). The most active on
Twitter are CERMI (16%), COCEMFE (10%) and Plena Inclusión (10%), while on
Instagram and YouTube there is a greater concentration of larger organisations with more
resources.
18,60%
36,00%
16,00%
25,00%
18,60%
12,00%
12,00%
6,98%
8,00%
55,81%
44,00%
72,00%
75,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Hashtags (#) used in the posts
# Intl. Dis. Day # Organisation # Intl. Day and the organisation None
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
102
Figure 6. Total posts on each social network by organisation
Source: Prepared by the authors
However, the reach and interaction achieved by these organisations is uneven (Table 1).
Although ASPAU, CERMI, COCEMFE and Servimedia, respectively, have been the most
active in posting on Facebook, COCEMFE has the lowest percentage of interactions
(0.03%) (Table 1), followed by APASCIDE (0.11%), ASPAU (0.14%), CERMI (0.26%),
Down España (0.39%), and COCEMFE (0.49%). Consequently, despite having a high
number of followers (ASPAU with 3.5 million and COCEMFE with 19,153), the number of
reactions, comments or shares they achieve in relation to the number of people who see
their posts is very low. The entities that get the most interaction are APSA (1.66%),
Ilunion (1.56%) and CNSE (1.21%), despite being among those that posted the least.
2,33%
2,00%
4,65%
48,00%
4,65%
2,00%
4,65%
8,00%
4,00%
2,33%
11,63%
2,33%
6,00%
8,00%
11,63%
6,00%
4,65%
10,00%
11,63%
16,00%
25,00%
4,65%
6,00%
4,00%
4,65%
8,00%
8,00%
6,98%
8,00%
4,65%
4,00% 4,00%
50,00%
2,33%
6,00%
4,00%
2,33%
8,00%
4,00%
4,65%
10,00%
25,00%
9,30%
16,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Total posts on social networks by organisation
AEDIS APSA ASEM ASPACE ASPASCIDE ASPAU
Autismo España CERMI CNSE COCEMFE Down España FEDACE
FIAPAS Fundación ONCE Ilunion ONCE Plena Inclusión Servimedia
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Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
103
Table 1. Interaction achieved on Facebook
Source: Prepared by the authors
The interaction data are nearly irrelevant in the case of Twitter, where FIAPAS reaches
the highest level of interaction at 0.64%, with only four other entities obtaining an
interaction of 0.10%: COCEMFE (0.25%), ASEM (0.19%), CNSE (0.17%) and AEDIS
(0.14%). Instagram is the site where the percentage of interactions is highest, with
standouts including Ilunion (5.63%), ONCE (3.74%), APSA (2.84%) and Down España
(2.34%). On YouTube, the fact that only 3 organisations published 4 videos limits the
analysis, but the number of views among the total number of subscribers to the
Fundación ONCE channel is 8.75%, the Plena Inclusión channel attained 3.70%, and the
COCEMFE channel had 1.92%.
Topics of the discourse posted by the specialised organisations
When structuring the discourse by topic in the posts on social networks on the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Figure 7), the pattern on Facebook and
Twitter is very similar, with a majority of posts combining commemoration and
vindication (32.56% on Facebook and 30% on Twitter). In addition, one must add the
use of the topic of commemoration of International Day (6.98% on Facebook and 10%
on Twitter), as well as the demand for specific solutions or rights for persons with
disabilities (6.98% on Facebook and 14% on Twitter). There is also a more positive topic
combination that joins commemoration and acknowledgement (6.98% on Facebook and
Organisation
Followers
No. of
posts
Reactions,
comments, and
shares
Commitment
(%)
Interactions
(%)
AEDIS
575
1
3
0.52%
0.52%
APASCIDE
922
1
1
0.11%
0.11%
APSA
7,787
2
259
3.33%
1.66%
ASEM
5,746
2
90
1.57%
0.78%
ASPACE
15,365
2
218
1.42%
0.71%
ASPAU
3.5 million
5
24,220
0.70%
0.14%
Autismo España
37,620
1
203
0.54%
0.54%
CERMI
7,774
5
102
1.31%
0.26%
CNSE
24,667
2
595
2.41%
1.21%
COCEMFE
19,153
5
467
2.44%
0.49%
Down España
52,457
2
404
0.77%
0.39%
FEDACE
8,893
2
97
1.09%
0.55%
FIAPAS
6,314
3
100
1.58%
0.53%
Fundación ONCE
32,479
2
301
0.93%
0.46%
Ilunion
16,436
1
257
1.56%
1.56%
ONCE
44,080
1
259
0.59%
0.59%
Plena Inclusión
57,770
2
568
0.98%
0.49%
Servimedia
4,696
8
11
0.23%
0.03%
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Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 93-111
Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
of the main disability organisations in Spain
Ismael López-Cepeda, Luis Mañas-Viniegra, Hipólito Vivar-Zurita
104
4% on Twitter), either for users, workers, volunteers, or society itself for its support and
effort. Also noteworthy is the publication of news related to people with disabilities, the
holding of conferences, meetings, round tables, etc. (18.60% on Facebook and 24% on
Twitter), as well as the announcement of awards received by associations and
foundations or granted by them (9.30% on Facebook and 6% on Twitter).
On Instagram, however, 48% of the posts are oriented toward fundraising, even though
there is some distortion due to the fact that APSA accounts for 48% of the total number
of posts on Instagram, all of which are related to the sale of a solidarity calendar. This
social network differs from the others in showing a higher number of commemoration
and acknowledgement posts (16%), with a substantial reduction in commemoration and
vindication (12%) and most of all in vindication (4%), thus revealing the opportunities
for topic specialisation that these organisations can adopt depending on the profile and
characteristics of each social network.
In the case of YouTube, the four posts are equally distributed (25% each) among the
following topics: commemoration; commemoration and vindication;
news/conferences/meetings; and awards.
Figure 7. Post topics by social network
Source: Prepared by the authors
4,65%
48,00%
6,98%
14,00%
4,00%
6,98%
10,00%
25,00%
32,56%
30,00%
12,00%
25,00%
2,33%
6,98%
4,00%
16,00%
11,63%
12,00%
4,00%
18,60%
24,00%
8,00%
25,00%
9,30%
6,00%
8,00%
25,00%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Post topics
Fundraising Vindication
Commemoration Commemoration and vindication
Commemoration and fundraising Commemoration and acknowledgement
Conmemoration & data/awards/conferences, etc. News/conferences/meetings, etc.
Awards
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105
The rights of people with disabilities in social discourse
The rights of people with disabilities that specifically appear in the analysis of the
discourse presented in the social network posts of the organisations specialising in this
issue (Figure 8) are similar on all social networks, despite the greater intensity with which
they appear depending on the peculiarities of each social network. The results of this
section are not presented in percentages, because sometimes more than one right
appears in each publication. Consequently, with regard to the rights included in the
general principles of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, held in 2006, reference is made to the number of times each of these rights
is mentioned, which are structured as follows:
a) Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s
own choices, and independence of persons;
b) Non-discrimination;
c) Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
d) Respect for differences, and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human
diversity and humanity;
e) Equalilty of opportunity;
f) Accessibility;
g) Equality between men and women;
h) Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right
of children with disabilities to preserve their identities. (United Nations, 2006: 5)
Firstly, the right to participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society stands
out, with the highest number of mentions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, although
this right does not appear on YouTube. Of particular note in this section is the declaration
by CERMI, which has been endorsed and supported by many other organisations in their
posts and advocates the participation of people with disabilities in the social and economic
reconstruction in the post-pandemic scenario, so as not to increase the gap that
continues to exist with regard to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. Such
participation and inclusion is also reflected in specific messages oriented toward
commemoration of International Day, such as the slogan, “A day for all”. The use of
inclusive language (and specifically inclusive behaviour) is another expression of this
right in the posts, as well as the necessary e-inclusion that must be adopted more
decisively in education. These rights are even presented in a way that is interrelated
when it is claimed that inclusive language should effectively promote the full participation
of people with disabilities in today's society, and that doing so requires greater
technological innovation to offer support for different types of disabilities, without ever
forgetting the universal nature that inclusion must entail.
Accessibility is the second most frequently mentioned right in the discourse that has
emerged from the posts on the four social networks analysed, especially on Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube. Accessibility is presented by the organisations as a broad concept
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Fundamental rights of people with disabilities reflected in the social discourse
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106
in which the removal of barriers stands out, sometimes referring to a physical issue, but
on most occasions referring to the term in a more general way. The current nature of the
health crisis can also be seen in the elimination of the barrier of masks for communication
with people with hearing disabilities, or other types of barriers that have emerged in
people with cognitive disabilities due to the restrictions imposed, which are issues related
to other rights as well.
Individual autonomy also has a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,
from the perspective of both health and well-being, showing a clear reaffirmation of the
dignity and dignified living conditions of people with disabilities and their families, and
demanding quality care for them with real support that makes the former possible. With
regard to individual autonomy, during the commemoration of International Day many
organisations celebrated the news of the Spanish Parliament's decision to eliminate
forced sterilisation of people with disabilities who were declared to be incapacitated by
court order, which was a decision that these entities had been demanding for decades.
Substantially fewer mentions were made of both the right to non-discrimination and the
right to equal opportunity. Regarding the right to non-discrimination for people with
disabilities, the organisations focus on using constructive dialogue to fight against hate
speech on social networks. On the other hand, equal opportunity is focused on
employment.
With only three mentions, respect for differences and the acceptance of people with
disabilities as part of human diversity and the human condition is related to the need for
support and the preservation of dignity. With two mentions, the right to gender equality
is presented from the perspective of gender-based violence with an emphasis on women
with cerebral palsy. The only mention made of developing aptitudes and identity refers
to the fact that a disability is not something that is suffered nor possessed.
Figure 8. Explicitly mentioned rights of people with disabilities by social network
Source: Prepared by the authors
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Individual autonomy
Non-discrimination
Participation and inclusion
Difference and diversity
Equal opportunities
Accessibility
Gender equality
Empowerment and identity
development
Explicitly-mentioned rights of people with disabilities in the posts (n=122)
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
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107
The ten posts with the highest number of “Likes” (Table 2) are on Facebook (with the
remarkable fact that ASPAU has 3.5 million followers), and Instagram. This order has
been chosen considering the low level of interaction analysed. These ten posts stand out
for their variety, and they are represented by six different organisations, with a majority
presence related to the commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities,
the demand for participation and inclusion, accessibility, and autonomy.
Table 2. Posts with the most Likes among all the social networks
Social
Network
Organisation
Post
Likes
Facebook
ASPAU
3rd DECEMBER, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABILITY <3.
Disability Day, because there is still a lot to do.
quiéretemucho.com
4,293
Facebook
ASPAU
The only truly dangerous disability is not having a heart. 3rd
December. International Day of Persons with Disabilities
3,396
Facebook
ASPAU
To include means not only to let someone in, but to
WELCOME them. ASPAU Autism Project Association
2,443
Facebook
ASPAU
3rd DECEMBER, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES. That is what normality is all about. We all
want to be on the inside, and not excluded. Even if it means
hurting ourselves and causing harm. –Nacho Calderón
Almendros–
871
Instagram
ONCE
ONCE and Telefónica, united by innovation for
inclusion. 🦯Today, on the #DíaDeLaDiscapacidad (Day of
Disability), Paco, who is one of the sales vendors in our
network of more than 19,000 guardians of #hope, tells us
how the technology of his POS terminal helps him and
others every day in their work. Full story on #PeopleFirst
🔗https://blogthinkbig.com/peoplefirst/terminal-accesible-
once-telefonica #tecnologíaaccesible #accesibilidad
#innovación #discapacidad
406
Instagram
Down
España
From DOWN ESPAÑA (Down’s Syndrome Spain), we want to
take advantage of the opportunity on this International Day
of Persons with Disabilities to advocate, together with
@cermi_estatal, the universal acceptance of inclusion by
providing support that is genuine, adequate, and
individualised in all areas of life for people with disabilities,
as well as the creation of an authentic social and health care
space to act as a welfare provider and support network to
guarantee assistance for decent living conditions for people
with complex needs.
359
Instagram
Autismo
España
People with #discapacidad (disabilities) are among the
hardest hit by the #COVID19 pandemic. On
#DiaInternacionalDiscapacidad (International Disability Day)
we join the manifesto of @cermi_estatal and demand to be
part of the economic and social reconstruction. +Info with
#pictos #TEA #autism in 👉 Current events-
www.autismo.org.es
299
Instagram
Ilunion
‼ Today we commemorate the International Day of Persons
with Disabilities (#Discapacidad) with the slogan 'A Day for
All'. A day for everyone to show their appreciation, in this
highly complicated year, for all the efforts and commitment
of more than 15,000 people with disabilities who are part of
#ILUNION
262
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Instagram
Autismo
España
📣📣 Parliament permanently outlaws forced or non-
consensual sterilisation of people judged to be incapacitated
by court decree. We celebrate this historic milestone that will
especially benefit girls and women with #disabilities #TEA
#autism We leave you +Info in Current events -
www.autismo.org.es
240
Facebook
CNSE
The CNSE (State Confederation of Deaf People) and its
associated network publicly announce this Declaration for
the accessibility of deaf people. #SomosRedCNSE
233
Source: Prepared by the authors
Discussion and conclusions
Although the activity of the 18 disability organisations analysed was moderate on their
social networks on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with an average of 6.78
posts each on the four social networks, most of it was concentrated on Twitter (41% of
the total number of posts) and Facebook (35%). These results seem consistent with the
increased effort in social network management that requires visually appealing
photography, in the case of Instagram, and quality video recording and editing, in the
case of YouTube. Previous research on digital communication of non-profit organisations
has already highlighted the minimal professional structure they have in this area, and
the result is heavier use of Facebook and Twitter as the two networks are most familiar
to older people, who are usually the ones in charge of multiple tasks within these
organisations, even regarding charity work (de-Cos-Carrera and Mañas-Viniegra, 2018).
Only three organisations have more than 50,000 followers on Facebook, and only three
have more than 1% of the interactions achieved by the total number of their posts on
International Day, which clearly shows the effectiveness of posting less but with higher
quality content that is more interesting for the audience. Previous studies carried out
with this same methodology in other areas such as the digital press, sponsoring brands
and museums have revealed the difficulty in achieving numbers of interactions higher
than 1% on Facebook and Twitter, yet the numbers are higher on Instagram. (Mañas-
Viniegra & López-Cepeda, 2018; Mañas-Viniegra, Sierra-Sánchez and López-Cepeda,
2019; López-Cepeda and Mañas-Viniegra, 2020).
This research has revealed areas of potential improvement for increasing this low
percentage of interaction, such as the following: publishing specific messages related to
the disability sector in which the organisation specialises; using topic-related hashtags
about an organisation’s activity that specifically identify the organisation (such hashtags
are currently non-existent with highly dispersed terms); using audio-visual resources to
address accessibility, either with images or video, along with subtitles, which are often
not included; and finally, greater use should be made of audio-visual technology. This
shortcoming in terms of accessibility can partially be overcome by expanding the
information published on a website that is outside the social network, yet more
accessible, through the use of links. This approach is particularly used on Instagram, with
a presence in 84% of the posts. Similarly, the posts of organisations with fewer resources
are diluted by relying on material generated and published by other organisations, and
consequently they hardly generate any content of their own.
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Commemoration and vindication took advantage of the social network discourse on the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, prioritising everything related to the human
and fundamental rights of this group, with emphasis on the participation and inclusion of
people with disabilities in society, accessibility, individual autonomy, and well-being. One
can observe the way in which Twitter's own identity as a social network, which is more
inclined toward protest and exalted discourse, also influences the more vindicatory-
oriented activity of these organisations, but always with an institutional tone. On
Instagram, the activity has focused on fundraising through the sale of solidarity calendars
by one of the organisations, although this approach has also been used by the rest of the
organisations to show their appreciation for the volunteers, users, and families for their
support.
The limitations of this study stem from the scarcity of organisations specialising in people
with disabilities that are also active on social networks, as well as the limitations in terms
of scope and percentage of the interaction of their posts. Another limitation is the lack of
data that would allow for a comparative study to be carried out, either with other years
or with the activity on social networks during the rest of the year. Similarly, it would be
useful to determine whether or not the Spanish case is typical of the situation in other
European countries. On the other hand, it seems that the anonymity on both the Internet
and social networks that provides psychological benefits to people with disabilities
(Tsatsou, 2020) is drastically declining due to the influence on personal identity exerted
by visual social networks with preferences for beauty and fashion (Mañas-Viniegra,
Núñez-Gómez and Tur-Viñes, 2020), an issue that has already emerged as a future line
of specific research on Instagram through the use of neurocommunication techniques.
There is also a need for a cross-cultural study that would help to compare differences,
depending on whether society is more inclusive or more individualistic (Alsaleh et al.,
2019), and would also aid in understanding the use of digital skills by people with
disabilities in promoting accessibility, and their own employability as well.
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