Good Intentions Bad Execution - Why People with Disabilities are Mismatched in Ads

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My daughter Maya is hearing impaired. I do not see this as a setback. In fact, I believe that most of what I have achieved in life is due to my ability to understand the difficulties of others, and to appreciate the importance of honest communication in bridging gaps and convincing others to change.

In this video, I challenge the practice of brands that misuse and misunderstand how to incorporate people with disabilities in their ads. These efforts often result in bad and ineffective advertising because they try to force the creative to accommodate the challenges of the people and disabilities, while also meeting the creative needs of the ad.

While it is important to push for inclusivity, the reality is that not everyone is cut out to be in ads. The best thing companies can do is to not make bad ads with people with disabilities, but to actually hire them instead.

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