Creating an inclusive brief

Show disability as part of everyday life

Communicators often feel uncertain about including disabled people in their products but it has been done successfully many times, often adding impact.

Concerns you may have

Communicators may also worry about getting it wrong, getting complaints or that using a disabled person could undermine the effectiveness of the communication.

If you have included disability correctly there is no reason why the effectiveness of your campaign should be affected negatively. Instead, it will increase buy-in from parts of your audience who may otherwise feel excluded.

Getting it right

Involving disabled people in developing your product will help you get it right. Inviting disabled people to focus groups will give you important feedback on whether your campaign works.

When including disability in a campaign, stick firmly to your communication objective – avoid getting distracted by trying to fit disability into it.

What you can do

Involve disabled people, ask them to assist you in incorporating disability in your brief.
Incorporate images of disability as part of normal life, in the same way we approach reflecting gender and ethnicity
Avoid hero and victim characterisation.

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Page last reviewed: 04 November 2010