Calgary Society for Person with Disabilities: Visibility for Disability

Visibility for Disability by Calgary Society for Person with Disabilities: For far too long, people with disabilities have lacked representation in popular media. It’s time to do something about it.

The public rarely sees people with a disability featured in popular media, leading a group of disability-focused organizations from Canada and the United States to publish an open letter calling on the media to be more inclusive of people with disabilities. Launching on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Tuesday, December 3, the campaign aims to change how people see disability by changing what they see in popular media. Currently, fewer than 3% of characters on North American television have disabilities and of these, 95% are played by non-disabled actors.

Bewilderment. Unease. “A bit of a stretch.” “It just rubs me the wrong way.” Those were some of the reactions from focus group participants shown fake ads for products like laundry detergent and cereal that prominently featured people with a disability.

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Credits
Advertiser: Calgary Society for Person with Disabilities
Campaign: Visibility for Disability
Advertising Agency: Wax, Canada
Creative Director: Nick Asik
Design Director: Monique Gamache
ACD/Copywriter: Chris Lihou
Copywriter: Jordan Findlayson, Monica Sommerville
Art Director: Brad Connell, Sam Benesh
Production Artist: Thomas Turner, Tina Song
Director, Strategy: Greg Damus
Account Executive: Michala Allen
Production Company: 2 Words Productions
Director of Photography: Jay Lawrence, Tom Acton
Editor: Jay Lawrence
Camera Assistant: Mark Riddle
Audio: Dan Gretton
Audio Production: 6 Degrees
Audio Director: Dan McManus
Sound Engineer: Peter Irwin

Tags:
Calgary Society for Person with Disabilities, Visibility for Disability, Canada, Public Interest, NGO, Wax, TV Commercial, Film, Awareness Campaign, International Day of Persons with Disabilities