For children with disabilities, turning 18 is “No Piece of Cake.” That’s the message from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which launched a campaign Tuesday that was informed by a joint survey with Leger about the difficulties faced by its young stakeholders and families.

It’s the reason the “No Piece of Cake” campaign is far less upbeat than previous creative, according to Ashleigh Saith, VP of strategy and public engagement at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.

The survey is called “Turning 18 isn’t so sweet: the critical gaps in health care for young adults with disabilities,” and found that each year in Canada, 70,000 young adults with disabilities transition out of pediatric care and into the adult health-care system.

According to the survey, 77% of young adults with disabilities face one or more barriers when accessing medical care; 80% have faced increased medical costs since transitioning from pediatric to adult care; and 64% of young adults’ participation in life is limited by their health-care needs.

“We have always brought our clients’ voices to the center,” Saith tells strategy. This year, however, the hospital foundation brought in an advisory group to interpret the data, due to the serious nature of the report.

The media mix for the campaign is earned media and sponsored content in Rogers and Toronto Life. There is also paid on social, display and search, as well as some influencer partnerships. The organization is also going outreach through its own channels like its internal newsletter.

“We tend to do our advocacy work in the leadup to holiday fundraising season,” Saith says. “No Piece of Cake” is a brand primer and lead-generation campaign targeting a slightly broader audience, from 18 to 55 years old, and a secondary audience of health-care system partners, she adds.

Holland Bloorview did the work in-house as well as the buy – with assistance from Peach Juice Creative, a Toronto production agency comprised of former Holland Bloorview employees.

According to Saith, the campaign is “slightly condensed” than the normal eight-week campaign.

Holland Bloorview is inviting people to visit its No Piece of Cake microsite to learn more about the campaign and spread the word on social media channels using #NoPieceofCake.