TORONTO, May 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), in partnership with creative agency TAXI Canada, has launched #EveryoneEverywhere, a new campaign to raise awareness of the critical need to improve physical accessibility for Canadians of all abilities.
With Angus Reid Global research stating that almost 50% of Canadian adults have or have experienced a physical disability or who live with someone who has, ensuring Canadians are aware of the significance of the issue is more important than ever and the first step to creating change.
The campaign coincides with the national expansion of Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC), the first and only program in Canada to rate the accessibility of the built environment based on meaningful access for people with varying disabilities affecting their mobility, vision and hearing.
The campaign elements include a hand painted wall mural and the creation of a ‘Poster for Everyone,’ an innovative and interactive backlit poster utilizing technology that caters to people of all abilities. The poster was displayed in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and a video was developed of people of various abilities interacting with it for use on social media. The video can be viewed on RickHansen.com/EveryoneEverywhere. Key features of the ‘Poster for Everyone’ included:
- Messaging that adjusted to the viewer’s eye-line based on their height, including those using wheelchairs;
- Font size that adjusted for those with low vision;
- Audio speakers that played the message on the poster as well as a Braille pad for those with low vision or who are Blind; and
- Language detection with text that changed to the native language of those speaking French, Mandarin or Arabic.
The creative design of the campaign has more purpose than ordinary messaging using blue, black and white to offer high colour contrast for people with low vision, as well as Trade Gothic Next, an accessible san serif font.
Commenting on the launch, Rick Hansen, Founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, said: “Accessibility is a basic human right. Currently one in five Canadians have a disability. And despite the growing number of seniors and people with both temporary and permanent disabilities, Canada is still not accessible for all. I hope this campaign sparks a national conversation on how we can work together to make Canada truly inclusive.”
The launch of the campaign falls on the 32nd anniversary of the end of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour, a 26 month, 34 country, 40,000km wheelchair marathon. The Tour raised $26 million and changed the way people with disabilities were perceived. This Sunday is also the start of National AccessAbility Week, a week to promote improved community access for people with disabilities, inspired by Rick Hansen in 1987.
The #EveryoneEverywhere campaign was developed in consultation with leaders in the disability community and is proudly supported by organizations including Barrier Free Canada, BCANDS, the Canadian Abilities Foundation, Easter Seals, ICORD and the Rick Hansen Institute.
Different channels will be utilized as the campaign rolls out throughout 2019. These include, broadcast, print, digital and outdoor as well as #EveryoneEverywhere grassroots social media posts, which will encourage people to promote the message of inclusion and accessibility using the hashtag.
To learn more about the #EveryoneEverywhere campaign, visit: RickHansen.com/EveryoneEverywhere. The hashtag for the campaign is #EveryoneEverywhere
About the Rick Hansen Foundation
The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. For over 30 years, RHF has worked to raise awareness, change attitudes, and remove barriers for people with disabilities. Over 1,100 buildings have been rated through the RHF Accessibility CertificationTM program to-date. Visit www.rickhansen.com to learn more.
Media Contact
Dawn Tse, Publicist
Rick Hansen Foundation
D: 778-296-1541
M: 778-229-7532
dtse@rickhansen.com