The Rio Paralympics haven’t even started, and the games are already in a crisis of shifted funding for athlete participation, diminished staff and potentially empty stands. But the Sagamihara massacre and Japan’s surrounding miasma dealing with disability, make these hurdles seem small compared to what lies ahead for the games, athletes, advertisers and so many others when Tokyo hosts the Paralympics in 2020. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Wheelchair
Advertising & Disability at a Crossroads: Stop typecasting and using us as props.
I love everything about Jaguar cars and I’m a big fan of Stephen Hawking, but the combination of the two in the British auto brand’s latest advertisement left me a bit disappointed. The plot line pulls in James Bond themes with actor Tom Hiddleston, portraying a secret agent and driving the Jaguar F-PACE. The luxury car maneuvers effortlessly across roadways through cinematic vistas to arrive at a futuristic mountain hideaway where Hiddleston meets Stephen Hawking. Watch the commercial before reading any further and come to your own conclusions on what type of character Hawking is supposed to be. Continue reading
Advertising can take someone from being wheelchair bound to boundless.
Two ad campaigns that came out days apart portray people with disabilities in totally different lights…one for the better and one not so good. What this tells me is that we have a long way to go to educate and inform agency creatives and advertisers on best practices to incorporate people with disabilities consistently and positively. Continue reading
Teal Sherer Actress & Advocate
I had the privilege to interview Teal Sherer, to learn how she brings conviction, visibility and voice to both her career in acting and support of disability inclusion and awareness. Originally from Lenoir City, Tennessee, Teal is an L.A. based actor, producer, and activist for performers with disabilities. Her film, TV, online and theatre work includes the Emmy Award-Winning HBO Film Warm Springs, starring Kenneth Branagh, I’m With Stupid an NBC series developed by The Farelly Brothers and on-stage performances with, among others, Dustin Hoffman. Closer to main the theme of this blog centering on advertising and disability, in 2008 Teal starred in the highly acclaimed Liberty Mutual commercial, Election. Continue reading
