The 2016 Paralympic Games Are Breaking New Ground. Don’t Believe Me? Have a Coke!

The Summer Paralympics are opening September 7th and running through September 18th. NBC will be covering the games on NBCSN. This is a major change from 2012, in London, when, despite sending the third largest team to the competition, NBC provided little coverage of the U.S. team. Now, NBC executives are recognizing the growing power and influence that people with disabilities represent as a consumer market. More evidence of this shift is literally, in your hand.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a man drinking a Coca Cola Classic. The can was covered with the Paralympic wheelchair racing logo. Curious, I learned that this can was part of Coke’s year- long Olympic add campaign to honor six American Olympians, among them, wheelchair racing powerhouse, Tatayana McFadden. While Coca Cola may not be my drink of choice, it is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Now, I’ll definitely make it a point to purchase a Coke over its competitors. No doubt, others like me and those who know them will do likewise and Coca Cola executives know this. A similar phenomenon is taking shape for a familiar breakfast staple.

The marketing staff at Kellogs have pushed the envelope in reaching people with disabilities. In the past few weeks, I’ve repeatedly watched a commercial for Frosted Flakes that featuring a girl, at a skate park, shredding it up in her wheelchair. The message that sends towards inclusiveness and looking at what a person with a disability can do is central to reinforcing the importance of seeing people with disabilities as people with talents who are not defined by their disabilities. It’s equally refreshing that someone within the organization made sure cast a person with a disability in the role.More often than not, in the mainstream media, people without disabilities are cast in roles that call for an individual with a disability. Each action shows real efforts to change how society views disability. Meanwhile, one transit provider no longer refers to riders as having disabilities.

I was in Portland, Oregon, a few weeks ago and used the Tri-Met public transit system, to get around. Thanks to my disability and proof that I qualified for a similar program where I live, I became an honored citizen. This same title refers to any rider who is 65+. For once, I got the discount for travel without my disability mentioned. That I paid seven dollars for a seven-day, system-wide transit pass didn’t hurt either! Yes, more needs to be done, particularly in the realm of employment, but I’ll take these three steps forward.

Steve McEvoy is an employment coach specializing in people with disabilities. You can learn more about him here.