Nearly 20% of Australians have a visible or non-visible disability*, yet only 1% of ads represent them**. The Shift 20 Initiative is a coalition of the nation’s top brands working towards increased disability representation, inclusion and accessibility in marketing and communications. We believe that together, our industry can help shift the perception of what disability is and what it can be – creating a more inclusive Australia, for everyone. 

In September 2023, the Dylan Alcott Foundation launched the Shift 20 Initiative, to help shift disability representation and inclusion closer to the 20% where it should be. We partner with some of the biggest brands in Australia to educate and assess how they can be more inclusive and representative of disability across their marketing mix - from casting through to digital accessibility.  Read more about Shift 20 here. 

*Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia. 

** Kantar (2021). The power of inclusive portrayal in advertising.

In 2024, we recognized that more brands are looking to cast talent with disability, but the existing pool of talent with disability with representation was quite small. We know that people with disability want to be involved in campaigns, so we set ourselves the goal of helping facilitate connections between brands, casting directors and creative agencies, and people with disability who want to be actors. We recently launched Shift 20 Casting Call on TikTok to do just this, and you can read more about it here. If you’re a brand, casting director or creative agency looking for talent for your next campaign, please contact us at shift20castingcall@dylanalcottfoundation.com.au.