Disability Advocacy messages

[selkiechick]

So my local con, Arisia, is having a Ribbon Game this year, a contest to see who can collect the most ribbons on their badges.

To this end, they are encouraging staff members to make their own ribbons to hand out. So I thought that perhaps I could come up with a good disability advocacy message to offer fans who want to be advocates. Last year my little pins with the icon for sign language, handed out to anyone who could sign, and wanted one, went over pretty well.

But I cannot, for the life of me think of a good message.

I thought about "Not all disabilities are visible" but that is well over the 28 character limit.

Suggestions, ideas? Is this a terrible idea?

Comments

[ambyr]

Would the accessibility hashtag (#a11y) work, or is that too obscure?

[selkiechick]

If Arisia Skewed a little younger I might do it, because the meaning becomes clear the instant you google it, but it is opaque otherwise...

[jesse_the_k]

OTOH, I love #a11y as a message, and it's gonna be displayed on the person of a fan willing to explain it...

(And I adored discovering a11y when I was 54, so there.)

[(Anonymous)]

Age is a state of mind, not a number!

[jadelennox]

I've just used "#accessibility". Depends if the audience is one that likes hash tags's.

[kate_nepveu]

"Accessibility's For Everyone" is 28 characters precisely (now that I have spelled it properly!) but very inelegant.

[selkiechick]

I like this.

[sasha_feather]

I like "Access is for Everyone" because it is easier to say. It might not be as clear, but a symbol or picture could be put with it.

[selkiechick]

I don't get a symbol unless I want to put stickers on it... but this does work...

[fred_mouse]

would 'access for everyone!' work? Or is it too strident?

[kshandra]

I had been thinking "Accessibility for Everyone" myself - I think "access" has more of a "backstage pass" feel in this context, rather than what is really meant.

[jesse_the_k]

Or, there's another tack:

Disability is natural!

(Perhaps not the best message in a con which celebrates the unnatural, among other things, but it's been a useful frame for folks who insist on disability as "special.")