A cinematic spot for the Rick Hansen Foundation features paraplegic athlete Leo Sammarelli climbing a set of stairs without the use of a ramp or lift. The idea for the “Just Because We Can” campaign is to show how that action of climbing the stairs can seem mountainous when accessibility isn’t accounted for.

“There’s a lot of discussion about this idea that people with disabilities can find solutions, this idea that they’re heroes,” says Rick Hansen Foundation vice president of strategic initiatives Sarah McCarthy. “[But] just because a person with a disability can find a solution, [that] doesn’t mean they have to find a solution.”

The campaign is supported by two 30-second spots that feature Sammarelli and Paralympian Tara Llanes. The new creative is the second iteration of the foundation’s “Everyone Everywhere” campaign, with McCarthy saying the new version is more direct in its messaging, and has greater clarity about the problem that exists for those with accessibility issues.

The Rick Hansen Foundation is a national charity dedicated to removing barriers in communities, schools and workplaces through accessibility education, training and certification programs. The foundation’s research shows one in four Canadians with a disability in Canada face accessibility barriers each day.

McCarthy says the new campaign wanted to make it clear that it’s ridiculous that barriers to accessibility exist without support for people who need them. The creative also drives forward the foundation’s goal to push for better accessibility in Canada’s built environment.

VML helped the foundation craft the creative for this campaign. The Globe and Mail, Corus and Outedge Media are also supporting the campaign.