I just can’t decide if this one is clever or offensive. Maybe a little of both!
A local Disability Action Center is trying to get the word out about how serious it is to properly respect the everyday rights of people with disabilities, but in a fun way.
“You can make fun of a zombie,” said CEO of DAC, Mark Leeper. “You can point a finger at a zombie. Sometimes they fall off. Hopefully not ours but the zombies do.”
‘Don’t Be A Zombie!’ is a new catch phrase leaders from the Disability Action Center in Moscow hope catches on.
They’re using a zombie as the wrong doer in their new Public Service Announcements.
He does things like give visual directions to someone that’s blind and park in a handicap parking spot when he shouldn’t.
“It doesn’t have the sting of average American person, boy were you being ridiculous in doing whatever you did,” said Mark Leeper.” Instead the Zombie’s doing something that we all know we can learn not to do.”
DAC leaders want to gently educate the public on the everyday rights people with disabilities have through the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The reality is a lot of folks just don’t know,” said Leeper. “And they do the wrong thing. They interact in a way that isn’t empowering to a person, doesn’t create an equal opportunity.”
“A big thing that happens is a person tries to help someone with a disability before asking and asking is really the polite thing to do,” said Marketing specialist for DAC Vicki Leeper.
Michelle Porter lives her life in a wheelchair. She said people try to help her all the time without asking, and sometimes even after she says no when they ask if she needs help.
“I feel invaded when … like no means no, basically,” said Porter. “If I say no, if you could just respect that and go, ‘okay, have a good day.’ And walk away.”
And if she does need help, she’ll gladly accept the offer. Sometimes she’ll even ask for the help.
“I do appreciate it when I need it,” said Porter. “It’s just that I don’t like it forced upon me.”
So “Don’t Be A Zombie!” learn the right thing to do.
The DAC will share their “Don’t Be a Zombie!” PSA’s at a conference in Washington D.C. in July. They hope similar centers use them for their efforts and it educates people nationwide. Until then they’ll share them with regional TV stations and movie theatres.
Via: Klew TV.
