Friday, March 28, 2008

Disability Advertising

Am I the only person baffled by the AccessON posters on public transit across Ontario?

The ads, which show situations involving the disabled, are intended to assist in raising awareness of barriers and, it seems, attitudes, that discriminate against those with physical challenges.

A good idea but ... .

Many of the ads are simply incomprehensible.

An example -- a couple is at a theatre, the man is visually impaired, and the usher asks "would your friend prefer to sit up front?".

Is this a comment on the fact that sometimes the disabled are spoken about rather than spoken to? Or is it praise for taking special care of a visually impaired individual? Or have I no clue at all what the ad is about?

Confusing ads do not provoke thought -- they merely annoy.

(By the way, there is an irony placing such ads on transit that is not accessible to most disabled individuals)
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

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