One of this year’s most resonant spots entered Adweek’s 30 Best Ads of 2022 list at the last possible moment. In fact, it was so impactful that it shook up the original roster entirely, instantly solidifying its place in the top three.

Apple’s “The Greatest” was not only rousing and incredibly cinematic, it signaled a long overdue shift in how some of the marketing community approached accessibility and disabled inclusion this year. Not only did it share the tech giant’s litany of accessible features, it also showcased the wide ranging and diverse disabled community wholly engaged in everyday life—a detail that shouldn’t feel revolutionary but still managed to emphasize the lack of varied inclusion in creativity today.

Whether they are people with disabilities, allies or just bystanders, [the public is] now recognizing that accessibility is critical and necessitated in today’s digital conversations and offline.

Josh Loebner, Ph.D., global head of inclusive design at Wunderman Thompson

It’s one example of how the idea of real inclusion has evolved beyond conversations regarding basic mechanics of accessibility (though those are still very important). Now, marketers are beginning to recognize that a more nuanced, integrated approach to disability and accessibility is integral to real progress.

“We’re still seeing a lot of conversations about product accessibility, but we also need to expand what disability means in ways that speak to the more holistic story of an individual,” said Josh Loebner, Ph.D., global head of inclusive design at Wunderman Thompson, to Adweek. “Disability in advertising and marketing doesn’t simply mean, ‘We need to make something accessible,’ which is wonderful and needed. But it’s also about how we can weave in those wonderfully immersive narratives and stories that speak to the larger, multidimensional nature of us as human beings.”

But this year also posed special challenges to the movement, the most notable being Elon Musk effectively dismantling Twitter’s Accessibility Experience Team through mass layoffs. Loebner also noted recent changes to AMC Theaters’ commitment to better captioning for its patrons, which he praised last year.

“AMC had talked about having open captioning across a variety of their theaters,” he said. “In New York City, there’s actually a law where a certain number of theaters have to have open captioning, which is great, but some of those commitments have fallen by the wayside in other markets.”

Despite this, Loebner sees the public reaction to these and similar setbacks as a positive sign of continued progress, especially in Twitter’s case: “The conversations surrounding that shows that people are watching. Whether they are people with disabilities, allies or just bystanders, they’re now recognizing that accessibility is critical and necessitated in today’s digital conversations and offline. I feel like companies that are bolstering accessibility and inclusive design teams are reflecting on this and hopefully looking at ways to not have anything like that happen to their organizations.”

Between continued pressure on organizations to prioritize accessibility and efforts like the ones listed below, we can still look forward to a future where disability inclusion is authentic, prioritized and wholly embraced.

Apple released one of its best ads of the year

Loebner quickly cited Apple’s “The Greatest” as one of the foremost accessibility wins of 2022, noting the abundance of spotlit features and the overall production quality of the spot itself. Additionally, by showcasing the functionality of each feature, Loebner notes, the brand was able to effectively demonstrate their wider appeal to its entire consumer base, regardless of ability.

“The interesting thing about all of the accessibility considerations that are within the Apple products is that they can be used by anybody,” he said. “And that’s where inclusive design comes in. For example, the ad featured a woman who’s deaf or hard of hearing, and her Apple watch let her know that the baby was crying. For any number of different individuals who are parents, that could be an amazing benefit.”

Kohl’s offers adaptive clothing for adults

In September, the retail chain announced a new line of adaptive clothing for its adult consumers, joining previous accessible apparel lines that were geared toward children.

“I’m the only disabled person in my family,” Loebner shared, “and if we go to Kohl’s and my family wants to get other things while I find something that may be more accessible for me in apparel, I can do that.”

Between Kohl’s and Pottery Barn’s adaptive furniture, he points to “greater integration of disability inclusion with those [retail] experiences.”

Mastercard beautifully markets its Touch Card

With “Spotlight,” Mastercard and collaborating creative agency McCann showed an enthusiasm for accessibility beyond its utility.

“As somebody who’s blind and uses a white cane, when I saw that I said, ‘I’m being represented here. This is awesome,’” he said. “And it was great to see not only the individual using the white cane but also for the brand to incorporate audio descriptions very creatively.”

Loebner praised the “end-to-end” inclusive design incorporated throughout the work, from its use of accessible functions to the thoughtful representation throughout the ad.

Amazon dropped its accessibility anthem

Amazon threw down the gauntlet when it came to corporate accessibility, challenging other brands to consider and continuously develop their products with disabled communities in mind. While it still flexed the conglomerate’s range of accessibility features, the work also offered a peek at the company’s internal approach to inclusive hiring and leadership.

“To see an Amazon ad where the voiceover was from a blind employee, we are starting to get more of the whole story of people with disabilities and advertising as opposed to [using disability as] a prop or just showing the accessible features, which is great.”

Diageo sets an internal and external culture of accessibility

One brand did manage to surprise Loebner in a favorable way: Diageo set a plan to train its expansive marketing team on inclusive design to ensure future brand campaigns and experiences reflect the cultural differences among consumers and are accessible to all. This has also positively impacted the brand’s popular Johnnie Walker distillery experience, offering disabled drinkers a new way to enjoy the spirit.

Loebner points to this effort as a moment where a brand realized the full potential and humanity of the disabled consumer.

“Sometimes disability can be infantilized or [seen as] childlike,” he said. “We’ll see an adult who might be 21 years old and of the appropriate age to have a spirit and people might think, ‘Oh, I don’t know if they should drink. They’re disabled.’ Buddy, sign me up for a bourbon.”

Degree raced to the metaverse with an accessible marathon

Loebner saw Degree’s Metathon—that is, a marathon in the metaverse—as a way to demonstrate how emerging tech can serve as a distinct tool for disabled users and a way to bridge brands with a wider audience.

“I thought Unilever creating advertising for the Metaverse Marathon that incorporated disabled avatars was super wonderful,” he said. “To really show how we can be as equitable as possible as we’re moving into Web3 and what that means from visual perspective—and incorporating different body types—is awesome.”

Microsoft releases adaptive accessories

“What was really amazing and exciting to see was what Microsoft developed with their various attachments to the hardware,” said Loebner. “I think oftentimes we really focus on the software, which is great and Microsoft does that like nobody else. But now, they’ve created these various accessories that allow individuals with different disabilities, including upper limb difference, to be able to access the hardware and open the laptop and use a mouse in new ways that they hadn’t done before. I feel like inclusively an inclusive design really went to the next level with Microsoft.”