The VisABLE campaign is launched on Monday and includes disability charity Leonard Cheshire, the Co-operative Bank, the Employers' Forum on Disability, disabled models and representatives from the advertising and media world. The organisations say research shows the majority of the public would welcome more disabled people in adverts.
Customers respond more positively to adverts if disabled people are featured.
VisABLE says several companies are backing its campaign and it is seeking to get others to commit themselves to it. Several companies, including Nike, Sony, BT and Coca Cola, have already used disabled people in their advertising. And, of course, VisABLE ties in with our aim of a more inclusive society. Not tokenism The Co-operative Bank says it has been at the forefront of promoting use of disabled people in advertising. It worked with the National Disability Council on the See the Person Not the Disability campaign in 1997 and is beginning a new advertising campaign in July which features disabled people.