July 14, 2006

Signs of the Times?

Adverbox, a blog for self-described advertising voyeurs, and CoolzOr, which examines the treacherous minefield of marketing thoughts, both feature what appears to be a guerilla advocacy campaign (which seems to originate from, of all places, Latvia) designed to put non-disabled accessible parking spot stealers in their place.

At first glance, the gonzo signs which feature a knock-off of the familiar wheelchair-using access symbol, look official enough.

Until you read them.

No confusion there. More examples after the jump.

While details about the origin of the campaign remain sketchy at best, the effort raises a few questions:

Is the "in-your-face" campaign the work of an advertising agency? And, if so, who hired them?

If consumer-driven, why haven't other groups, in other places, joined in the fight?

Is frustration with legal proceedings and slow as molasses bureaucracy inspiring disabled citizens to take the law into their own hands?

What say you, circus-goers ... should activists take a page from guerillas and vigilantes in making the blatant wrongs which keep disabled people from full participation in society right?

The forum discussions over at Adverbox and CoolzOr are just starting to get lively.

Don't forget to feed the meter.

Posted by Lawrence Carter-Long

Posted on July 14, 2006