Constructing the Meanings of Disability and the Disabled Body in International Films and Series on Netflix

Abstract

        This study investigates the construction of meanings surrounding the bodies of persons with disabilities in international films and series on Netflix, which were produced from 2010 to 2024. Employing qualitative methods and thematic analysis, the research examines 22 selected titles featuring disabled characters across leading and supporting roles. The findings reveal that four principal forms of bodily resistance emerged: concealing, narrating, demonstrating, and reconstructing new bodily experiences to audiences. The study identifies three dominant modes of constructing meaning: (1) inferior bodies, (2) superior bodies, and (3) humanized bodies grounded in equality.

The study shows that the meanings of disability extend beyond the physical body and constitute a contested space of power, representation, and identity. The presence of disabled characters in media operates as a key mechanism for constructing three major modes of meaning. (1) Reproduction of meaning: Narratives often continue to portray disability through deficit-based frames such as loss, burden, tragedy, or life’s incompleteness, especially when disability follows a life-changing event, reinforcing its association with diminished value or unattainable relationships. (2) Deconstruction of meaning: Some contents challenge conventional stereotypes by representing disabled people’s lives, relationships, work, and desires as equal and dignified, reframing disability as “difference” rather than “deficiency.” (3) Reconstruction of meaning: Other contents grant disabled characters agency and reimagine disability as a site of dignity, equality, choice, and participation, thereby reshaping both social and symbolic spaces for disabled people.

         Media streaming platforms have begun to play a significant role in shaping value frameworks and redefining the communicative space surrounding disability through their media policies. In the case of Netflix, initiatives such as inclusion policies and support for creators from marginalized communities contribute to this shift. The findings indicate that representations of disability on such platforms are moving away from long-standing biases rooted in pity or exceptionalism, toward an understanding of disability as an aspect of human diversity. However, some representations remain bound to familiar and socially acceptable narrative frames, rather than revealing the full diversity and complexity of disabled people’s everyday realities.