The Stigma Project

Statewide initiative to eliminate the stigma associated with people with disabilities

Our Challenge

The campaign, funded through a federal grant awarded to the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council (PADDC) and administered by the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association (PMHCA), aims to eliminate the stigma against people with all types of disabilities, which has been found to be a serious problem in the state. According to a survey conducted for Pennsylvania Arc, 79% of people said they believe society thinks of individuals with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities “with discomfort and awkwardness.” However, most people would say they do not contribute to the stigma surrounding people with disabilities.

Our Influence Strategy

To identify individual’s behavior and attitudes toward people with disabilities, Suasion conducted a deep analysis through focus groups, interviews and subject-matter research. Based on this information, Suasion developed an Influence Architecture that included disruption techniques used to get attention. Through provocative, high-impact, visually compelling and unconventional messaging, we got people to stop in their tracks and confront their thinking about their own personal beliefs and attitudes regarding people with disabilities.

The Stigma Project launched with the help of a grassroots effort organized by Suasion that included 38 disability organizations across the state. On a specific day, volunteers placed thought bubbles containing stigmatizing statements throughout their respective communities along with a large “stigma green” bubble that asked “What are you thinking?” All communications materials led the public to LetsThinkAgain.org which was designed to engage and educate. Also, because of the provocative nature of the launch and our expert media relations skills, we secured local, regional and national media coverage.

Suasion planned and coordinated an event at the State Capitol to proclaim May 10, 2017 Stigma Awareness Day. At the press conference, Suasion launched a 40-minute documentary that featured interviews with experts and scholars across the Commonwealth who study oppression, discrimination and stigma. The documentary also featured people with various disabilities. The documentary became the focus of countless community events that included panel discussions to dive deeper into the issue of stigma. In addition to coordination and support services, Suasion also created materials to assist community organizers with their events.

Our Results

In the one-year period after the launch of the campaign, more than 6,000 unique visitors logged onto the website from more than 1,900 cities. The number of people exposed to our Facebook content exceeded 97,000. Our statewide and national press coverage reached more than 10 million people, and we had more than 300 individuals pledge to end the stigma associated with people with disabilities. There were over 50 community events across the sate where the documentary was shown followed by a facilitated discussion about stigma.