Disaboom and Changing Perceptions
I recently read about Disaboom.com’s advertising strategy that the agency Cowboy put together. The ads feature disabled men and women’s stories about becoming disabled, and the positive changes brought about in their lives as a result. Cowboy put together video spots, web pages, and banner advertisements to simultaneously promote Disaboom and further the organization’s mission.
After yesterday’s post about whether designers can or should change the world, I think this is a fitting example of a positive impact. AdFreak wrote about the ads wherein Angela Rockwood was featured, and her story changed author David Griner’s perceptions:
Will all this make me an avid reader of Disaboom.com? Probably not. But if the goal was to challenge perceptions about disability, this more than gets the job done.
On the surface, this looks like a very disability-positive campaign, though I haven’t spent as much time looking at it as I would like. Disaboom aims to united persons with disabilities around issues central to their livelihoods. It’s an impressive network of information, people, and resources. I’d like to invite those I know who are either living with a disability or who work on disability issues to comment on Disaboom and Cowboy’s efforts. Is this campaign just? Can you see it having a positive impact?
Heya!
I gotta admit, I have a google alert set for Disaboom, so I saw this post
I am not super active there due to being busy (also why I use a lot of google alerts to see what’s up with my favorite sites) but I have an account and find the site very useful! The new design is a little wonky but gets better every time I drop by, and the articles are very helpful. You should check out the Josh Blue videos they recently added- hilarious whether you have a disability or not.
-Lisa