Why This Mom Wants to See Disabled Children in Ad Campaigns

Leah Jessen / August 05, 2015

For Katie Driscoll, a young mother of six, back-to-school excitement is always dulled by one thing: advertising.

That’s because Driscoll, whose daughter Grace has Down syndrome, cannot help but notice the lack of diversity in images of children boarding buses and toting packed lunches. Particularly, she cannot help but notice the lack of images portraying children with disabilities.

So three years ago, Driscoll, a professional photographer, took matters into her own hands and founded a non-profit organization called Changing the Face of Beauty. She is on a mission to change public perception of disability through advertising.

“Unfortunately, with our major brands right now we are not seeing a lot of inclusion, which is disappointing,” Driscoll told The Daily Signal.

Last year, Driscoll staged and shot a viral back-to-school photo shoot that included children with disabilities. She calls her daughter Grace her “silent motivator” and says she pushes her to paint an accurate picture of individuals with disabilities in her images.

As back-to-school advertising campaigns rev up this year once again, Driscoll feels that this is a “crucial time” for disabled children to find inclusion, value and acceptance in society.

Driscoll is already seeing an impact. Last year’s campaign influenced Livie & Luca, a children’s company, to begin a social media campaign called “I’m Going Back to School Too,” partnering with Changing the Face of Beauty to raise funds for a special education campaign.

Along with the back-to-school shoot, Changing the Face of Beauty has produced other shoots to educate retailers on inclusion in advertising.

Recently, Changing the Face of Beauty launched another social media campaign, aimed at attracting 15 companies to commit to including at least one model with a disability in their 2015 advertising. The campaign was called “15 for 2015.” They reached that goal in January and have partnered with over 100 brands, including brands in the United Kingdom and Australia.

“The resounding response from the companies that we’ve worked with so far is, ‘We never thought about it. I can’t believe we didn’t think about it,’” Driscoll said.

Clothing store Freckles & Kitty is one of those companies.

“It was certainly not a difficult decision to participate, once we realized that the option was there,” Freckles & Kitty wrote on the Changing the Face of Beauty website. “It speaks to who we are as people, as a brand, and, by extension, as a company.”

Driscoll believes that an increase in portrayals of individuals with disabilities, reflecting a more realistic depiction of society, directly correlates to opportunities for employment and independence for the disabled.

It appears she is on to something. Already this year, Jamie Brewer, a model who has Down Syndrome, walked in New York Fashion Week shows because of Driscoll and Changing the Face of Beauty’s efforts.

“I think we’re going to see big changes in the future,” Driscoll said.