I visited a few panels so far this week, and have enjoyed all. The one that stuck out to me most was the Disability Panel. Our own coding classmate, Paige Lambert was the moderator today with the panel. Paige asked some great questions, some of which focused on how to approach and write a story with or about someone who has a disability. The panelists included Lori González, Texas State Office of Disability Services; Steve Helm, public relations coordinator at Special Olympics Texas; and Andrea Ball, investigative reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.
The media unfortunately doesn’t really know how to report on people with disabilities. One of the topics that was brought up was how the media and stories are always looking for that triumph and someone who has had to “overcome” a disability to get to where they are. People with disabilities aren’t by any means “suffering” from a disability, they are regular everyday individuals.
One of the great points that was also brought up was that if you are curious about someones disability, just ask. Paige made a great point when she said “it’s better than avoidance.” Meaning if you are truly curious and you want to know, rather than possibly have any hidden agendas or ulterior motive, it’s ok to just ask. 
The other topic was that we are all going to make a mistake or even a few mistakes when reporting or writing about someone with a disability. It happens. But don’t use that as a way to avoid writing a piece all together. Learn from it and try not to do it again.
Another great point was that if the story you are writing has nothing to do with the person’s disability, don’t even mention it in your story. I would think that goes without saying, but I’m sure there are always a person or two who inserts that into a story, maybe without even thinking about it.
All in all, I think this was an important topic that everyone in media will eventually come to experience. It was a great way to learn of ways to approach a story piece when writing about someone who has a disability. It was a very informative and helpful panel discussion.