Can you spare two minutes of your time to help us understand how disability inclusion is changing in our industry?
It has been 18 months since the industry first banded together to tackle the issue of disability inclusion in advertising and marketing, collaborating as part of the Shift 20 Initiative.
Why does the Shift 20 Initiative exist?
20% of Australians live with some form of visible or non-visible disability, but only 1% are represented in advertising. The Shift 20 Initiative aims to close this gap.
As we move into the initiative’s next phase, we’re constantly asking ourselves – is this working? As a not-for-profit we don’t have the luxury of budgets, econometrics and modeling tools to measure our impact. But, what we do have is an industry that’s demonstrated passion and engagement with the issue of disability inclusion.
Can you spare two minutes to help us get a measure of our progress by answering a few simple questions below in this link?
Why is this important?
The more accurate our understanding is of the industry response – the more focused we can be in our collective efforts.
There has been a long history of our industry portraying a shiny version of life, and in recent times it has started to shift to reflect the society we live in.
But, we’re only just scratching the surface: research conducted by TRA in Q4 2024 found that Australians estimated 7 out of the last 100 ads they’d seen may have included someone with disability. Which hadn’t changed from the 12 months prior.
There is more work to do – which will benefit us all but also stands to benefit the brands we work for. People with disability represent 20% of the population, and this group has an estimated disposable income of $40 billion dollars*. So, it makes good business sense – and most importantly, means that 1 in 5 Australians will see themselves represented authentically.
We appreciate you completing our survey.
We will continue to update you on our progress, and if you have any questions regarding the Shift 20 Initiative, please reach out to Priya@dylanalcottfoundation.com.au.
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Sources
- Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2022, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release
- Kantar. The power of inclusive portrayal in advertising. 2021 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ec90bd1ab7175194ea98328/t/636524ccfb3f5d1fffb0f8e1/1667572958155/Inclusion_and_diversity_in_advertising_playbook.pd
- The economic argument for hiring people with disabilities. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 8, 22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00707-y