Disability Inclusive Social Media Content

While disability inclusion is a topic that’s typically discussed in the context of hiring practices, communications and marketing also play a role in creating spaces that are inclusive of the disabled community. With over a quarter of the U.S. population living with a disability, organizations should work to ensure all their spaces - physical and digital - are welcoming to people living with disabilities. Just because a person can access a space doesn’t mean they are included and treated equitably. Such diversity and inclusion practices extend into the world of social media. 

Social media content can that’s carelessly created can promote ableism - the act of discriminating against people with disabilities. Ableism is typically rooted in the discriminatory belief that non-disabled people are superior to people with disabilities. Such exclusionary tropes are harmful and have no place in mission-driven organizations. Therefore, organizational leaders should evaluate all content when creating social media content to ensure it’s not ableist in language, message, or media (image, video, etc.). 

Here are three tips for improving disability inclusion via social media:

Disability Inclusive Language:

Language can be ableist, especially when it excludes people with disabilities or uses disability terms in insulting or incorrect ways. Ableist language can be found in marketing materials, including social media captions. Examples of ableist language that may be present in organizational social media captions include “blind,” “crazy/insane,” “crippled/lame,” “dumb/retarded/stupid,” “I stand with,” etc. Organizational leaders should evaluate social media content for ableist language usage and work to improve inclusivity through non-discriminatory language selection. 

Disability Inclusive Message:

Social media content that promotes or includes “inspiration porn” - content that focuses on people with disabilities overcoming their disability as feel-good inspiration for people without disabilities. Inspiration porn is ableist as it implies there’s something wrong with a disability that must be overcome. Additionally, this type of discriminatory content objectifies people with disabilities. Consider how the disabled person’s story is being framed and distributed when evaluating social media content. 

Disability Inclusive Media Selection:

When disability representation is not part of an organization’s media inclusion, such exclusionary, biased practices propagate a discriminatory ableist agenda. Organizational leaders should identify ways to include disability representation in the images and videos utilized for all marketing campaigns - not just social media. If your organization doesn’t know how to do this in a respectful manner, consider working with a disabled-owned agency such as Becker Digital to receive additional guidance. 

Learn more about social media and disability inclusion:

Disability is present in our communities, and organizations should be aware of how accessible their digital spaces, including social media, are to people living with disabilities. If your organization is looking for a creative partner to provide marketing and PR services, Becker Digital is always ready to help. Our team of experienced professionals is available for projects large and small. We work to customize our services to the client’s needs. Contact us to schedule a complimentary call and learn more about how digital strategy can enhance your organization’s mission.