Adjacent to disabled is not disabled.
The importance of authenticity.
Mainstream marketing and pr agencies and self styled marketing gurus often claim to know the disabled market and how to reach the disabled market due to their own proximity to disabled people.
While it gives some insight, it's always an outsider perspective that will always be slightly out of tune with the disabled consumer, simply because it's not authentic. That lack of authenticity due to lack of direct experience can result in lower than unexpected promotions success levels.
Some Concepts to Consider
Which ramp is accessible?
Neither one of them, it's a trick question that illustrates the importance of first hand experience.
Both ramps are considered to be "inclusive" by overlaying the able bodied and disabled world, one on top of the other, and the intent was to be welcoming to everyone. While visually interesting and quite pretty, they are completely inaccessible. The result is a testament to "something about us without us", literally cemented into the landscape.
Which ramp is accessible?
Merging and overlapping messages for both able bodied and disabled consumers can sometimes miss the mark. It's like mixing chocolate and vanilla in the same bowl. Weird. But chocolate icing on a vanilla cake is just fine. To continue with the ramp analogy as an example, the side by side gives some people options, and the ramp brings everyone up.
