People with a variety of disabilities are part of a new advertising campaign that’s pushing back against negative ideas about what it means to have disabilities. (Easterseals Southern California)
A public service announcement taking on negative stereotypes about disabilities is premiering on television and streaming services nationwide and will appear in print and on billboards.
The campaign dubbed “D1$@B1L*tY is Not a Dirty Word” was created by and stars people with disabilities. It is launching nationally during coverage of the Paralympics on NBC and its affiliated platforms.
The one-minute video spot features 12 people with various disabilities talking about how they’ve embraced their differences despite assumptions from others, ultimately centering on the message “Say disability with pride.”
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Easterseals Southern California is behind the ad campaign, which was produced by the creative agency The House of JOY. The disability organization said it worked with people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities on the PSA and employed people with disabilities to produce it.
“This disability pride media campaign is by, for and about people with disabilities,” said Mark Whitley, president and CEO of Easterseals Southern California. “Real authenticity only comes through personal experience and for this important project, people with disabilities are sharing their stories and insights on disability to unite as one voice for change.”
The PSA will air on A&E, Animal Planet, CNN, COX Media, ESPN, Food Network, FX, Galavisión, the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, Hulu, MSNBC, NFL Network, Prime Video, Spectrum News 1, TBS, TNT and YouTubeTV. It will also appear on Bing, Google and Yahoo, on billboards and in print in select markets.
The advertisements are expected to run through the end of the year.
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