The American Association of People with Disabilities

Championing disability inclusion during the ADA’s 30th anniversary

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

More than 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 61 million diverse Americans with disabilities still fight to achieve its goals: equal opportunity, economic power and independent living for all. Discriminatory practices and bias continue to impede workplace inclusion, with only 19% of people with disabilities employed.

The challenge

Even 30 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) discriminatory practices and bias continue to impede workplace inclusion, with only 19% of people with disabilities employed. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed entrenched bias against people with disabilities and the urgent need for greater community integration.

AAPD’s platform needed to resonate within and beyond the disability community, educating policymakers, employers and the public on action needed to protect and advance disability inclusion.

The solution

To elevate disability rights within national conversations, we created unique ADA30 branding, launched a paid search campaign and built a dedicated landing page with resources for media, disability advocates and local policymakers.

This augmented ongoing pro-bono efforts to execute targeted media and stakeholder outreach on the importance of corporate equity and inclusion for Americans with disabilities.

The impact

We secured exclusive bylines and news coverage in The New York Times, USA Today, CNN.com, Forbes, INC., and NPR showcasing that hiring people with disabilities is good for business and spotlighting the 30th anniversary of the ADA.

Our creative communications campaign resonated within and beyond the disability community, resulting in 880+ mentions of AAPD in traditional and social media conversations about the ADA.

Our work with AAPD has been recognized by the National Capital Chapter of PRSA for both Pro Bono and Public Service Campaign of the Year for 2018.