The Media should create and strengthen partnerships with associations of people with disabilities, in order to improve the portrayal of disabled people in mass media. More information on disabled people should be included in the media in recognition of the existence of human diversity. When referring to disability issues, the media should avoid any patronising or humiliating approaches but focus instead on the barriers disabled people face and the positive contribution to society disabled people can make once these barriers have been overcome", states the Madrid Declaration on non-discrimination and positive action.

The project REAL LIVE MEDIA aims at empowering people with learning disabilities to work effectively with the media, and to use the media as a partner in promoting a new progressive vision of people with learning disability or multiple disabilities in today's society. Media coverage of learning disability is one of the main obstacles to disability rights. Therefore it is essential to improve portrayal of people with learning disabilities within all the media.

The REAL LIVE MEDIA project is needed:

to promote the portrayal of people with learning disabilities in the media as useful citizens (ie. they can do much, they can speak for themselves, they have the same feelings and like the same things as others, they should be treated according to their age);

to challenge the perception and practice that people with learning disabilities are only newsworthy when something sensationalist occurs;

to have the media represent people with learning disabilities in issues that matter to them in the media;

to overcome the discrimination practised by some media professionals. (A strong example is the refusal by some TV producers to allow people with learning disabilities on their shows as participants or part of the audience);

to create an environment whereby the media can be used effectively as a tool to promote a progressive vision of people with learning disabilities in their daily lives.