Representasi Disabilitas dalam Iklan Televisi Indonesia Pasca-UU Nomor 8 Tahun 2016

Abstract

This study analyzes the transformation of disability representation in Indonesian television advertising following the enactment of Law Number 8 of 2016. The study positions advertising as a non-neutral space of meaning production, where disability may be constructed either as an empowered subject or as an object of sympathy. Using a qualitative socio-legal approach combined with critical semiotic-discourse analysis, this article connects advertising texts, broadcasting regulatory frameworks, and disability rights principles. The findings indicate that post-2016 advertisements increasingly portray participation, independence, and bodily diversity. However, these representations remain constrained by the logic of empathy commodification, supercrip narratives, and inspiration porn. In addition, the lack of synchronization between disability regulations and broadcasting practices causes inclusive representation to remain limited to visual appearance rather than substantive inclusion. This article concludes that representational change must be accompanied by more accessible production standards, ethical guidelines for advertisers, and more affirmative regulatory oversight to ensure that persons with disabilities are represented as subjects of rights rather than merely instruments of brand imaging.