Confidence Building, Empowerment, and Engagement: An Argument for Practicing Media Literacy Education in Special Education Settings in Hong Kong

Abstract

Today, the mass media are now regarded as essential for keeping people up to date with the world around them. In order to combat the negative influences media may have on youngsters, media literacy education has been called upon and was implemented in some primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. However, the benefits have not been extended to the field of special education. This paper attempts an argument for the incorporation of media literacy education into the special education curriculum. Here special education means education for children and adolescents with various physical disabilities—hearing/visual impairments, mobility impairment, and so forth. The paper argues that media literacy education can help students with disability combat media stereotypes, actively participate in society, and become engaged in media production.