Mumbrella360: ‘It’s about shifting the needle’ – Dylan Alcott calls on industry to work with disability community
Including a person with disability in your advertising shouldn’t be a tokenistic tick of the DE&I box. Brands need to put in the work, and do more to better represent the one in five Aussies with a disability, former Australian of the Year, Grand Slam-winning wheelchair tennis player and motivational speaker Dylan Alcott reminded the crowd at Mumbrella360 on Thursday.
Delivering the final session of the conference on Thursday afternoon, Alcott discussed the Shift 20 Initiative, a campaign in support of better disability representation in, and around, advertising.
He was joined by Special Australia’s ECD, Ryan Fitzgerald, and disability advocate, speaker, model, actor, and the star of ANZ’s re-shot commercial, Sara Shams.
Why doesn’t he offer some of the opportunities he’s afforded to other people with disabilities? He’s inundated with offers, and has a high asking price, but wonder how many of those are passed onto others?
I’m guessing no one involved in this conversation has ever worked with him.
Because he doesn’t. He’s all about his own brand
I’d say this is more of a dud take.
1) How do you know he doesn’t?
2) Why does he have to prove he is doing more than his fair share to satisfy you that he’s right about under representation?
3) How he responds doesn’t make any difference to whether the requests from brand in bad faith are bad.
Sounds like you’re trying to blame a disabled person for brands under representing disabled people. That’s my ‘controversial take’.