Scope concern over Cerebral Palsy Alliance ad

Scope notes the recent TV advertisement by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the angry reaction to it from people with disability and their families.

We appreciate the sincere intention of the NSW-based Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

However, we believe that the ad takes the wrong line. Our concern is that it risks reinforcing negative stereotypes of people with cerebral palsy. While the issues they raise are important we believe there are better ways of getting the message across. Scope has previously run a TV advertising campaign based around the theme of “See the person”.

This international award winning ad aimed to challenge negative stereotypes to focus on the capabilities and potential of people with disability. We believe that this is always the better approach.