It's time to include disability in the picture

By Louise Kinross

This year's Dear Everybody campaign at Holland Bloorview calls on advertisers, broadcasters and producers to include disability in the picture.

Watch this new Dear Everybody video, and see how many ads and TV shows with characters with disabilities you recognize. Look out for some musicians, athletes and actors with a disability too! The video shows Holland Bloorview clients and families reacting to images and videos that include disability.

"I wanted to be in this ad because everybody should know who's in the world," says Zion Resendes, 8, in photo above left with his sister. "People with disabilities should be seen and everybody should be part of the normal." Zion says his favourite part of filming the ad was "everything. I felt famous."

Dear Everybody was launched four years ago as an open letter from families of children with disabilities to challenge readers to confront their own biases about disability and human value.

While 22% of Canadians have a disability, we don't see their images in the media. Last year we asked people to sign the Dear Everybody Agreement, a pledge to support brands and content creators that include disability. Over 7,000 Canadians signed the agreement, including companies like Reitmans and Rogers. Check out the positive change we're seeing in the media landscape in this new video.

This year we're asking people to celebrate images that get it right on Instagram, and call out those that don't, by using the Dear Everybody sticker (you'll find it by searching Dear Everybody in the gif library). You can also hear directly from children and youth on why disability representation matters to them. If you haven't signed the Dear Everybody Agreement, click here. Follow the #DearEverybody conversation on social media.

The Toronto arm of the global Forsman & Bodenfors agency did the creative for the campaign.