Keep Left & Guide Dogs NSW Partner To Make The World More Accessible

Keep Left has created an integrated campaign for Guide Dogs NSW with the long-term goal of making the world more accessible for people with blindness or low vision.

“For a Boundless World” is the first integrated campaign for Guide Dogs NSW in four years. It comes off the back of Guide Dogs NSW refreshing its brand strategy and introducing a new brand platform.

More than a million Australians are expected to live with blindness or low vision by 2030, and while more than 60 per cent of people with low vision or blindness are over 65, one in ten are under 18, and three in 10 are aged 19 to 64.

Despite this, less than one in three young Australians say they have contact or connection with people with blindness or low vision. In fact, a survey by Guide Dogs NSW found one in four Australians aged 18 to 34 had never even heard the term “low vision”.

“As a starting point, we wanted to increase awareness among young Australians about the realities of living with blindness and low vision. Our long-term goal is to help people live more boundless lives by removing or minimising the barriers in their immediate worlds,” said Guide Dogs CMO, Michael Apte.

Keep Left has created an integrated campaign highlighting that while the world is not currently designed for people with low vision or blindness, it could be.

The first phase of the campaign educates Australians about the realities of living with blindness or low vision, debunking myths about how Guide Dogs clients socialise, date, work, travel, and parent.

“For a Boundless World will start a conversation about the first and biggest barrier that exists for people with blindness and low vision – bias”.

“Our team worked hand in glove with Guide Dogs’ clients to understand how the world feels from their perspective. We were surprised by the questions they are asked each day about their condition, how they cook, do their makeup, choose clothes, and parent their children. Even how they love”.

“Sometimes this inquisitiveness leads to connection, but sometimes it stems from bias and a lack of understanding. This bias is one of the many unnecessary barriers people with blindness and low vision face every day”.

Phase one of the campaign features Guide Dogs clients and was produced with best practice accessibility guidelines in place.

The campaign will roll out across out-of-home, social and search executions as well as earned media, driving traffic to an educational campaign page that sets the record straight about blindless and low vision.

Ongoing, “For a Boundless World” will see Guide Dogs NSW partner with like-minded brands to deliver a series of Boundless Projects. These Boundless Projects will remove some of the other barriers that prevent people with blindness and low vision from accessing the things they need and desire – with a focus on mainstream media, consumer product design, and the built environment, specifically street and city design.

Guide Dogs NSW is already taking a leadership approach in this area with its flagship Sydney headquarters recently recognised in the AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies awards for disability-inclusive workplace design.

“We’re living in an era where the importance of disability inclusivity and accessibility has finally come into focus. We’ve heard the barriers that people with low vision and blindness would like to see removed from the community and we’re partnering with the right organisations to co-create the solution. We’re committed to creating meaningful change by tackling everyday accessibility issues in our community,” Apte said.

Keep Left and Guide Dogs NSW encourages brands interested in collaborating on a Boundless Project to get in touch.

CREDITS

Client: Guide Dogs NSW

CEO: Dale Cleaver

Chief Marketing Officer: Michael Apte

Brand Manager: Natalie Haidar

Communications Manager: Sarah van de Scheur, Stephen Acott

PR Manager: Declan Byrne

Principle Advisor – Access & Stakeholder Management: Jennifer Moon

Client Advisory: Sarah Hirst, Ben Moxey, Annette Ferguson, Zara Perry, Jamal Abdul, Ingrid Barnes

Agency/Production: Keep Left

Founder & CEO: Caroline Catterall

Managing Director: Katarina Farrell

Executive Creative Director: Blair Kimber

General Manager – Integration: Johanna Murray

Group Account Director: Gem Mejer

Copywriter: Ruby Gill

Senior Art Director: Thomas Rennie

Designers: Giorgia Fichera, Hannah Palmer

Strategy Director: Laura Agricola

Strategist: Harris Galloway

Digital Director: Larissa Thorne

Digital Strategist: Zach Edwards

Project Manager: Jeremiah Espanto

Agency Producer/Director: Ant Dinham

Photographer/Director of Photography: Andrew Diprose

Editor: Justin Carrig

Colourist: Samuel Galloway

Media: Ryvalmedia

Bianca Falloon: General Manager

Trent Light: Head of Strategy

Keegan Wicken: Business Manager

Susan Aung: Digital Executive

Brand strategy: Principals

Wayde Bull, Planning Director & Founder