CEO and Wheelchair User Can’t Get to Cannes – Can You Help?
Above (left to right): With Not For co-founders Emma Gardner and Kelly Gordon
Kelly Gordon is the co-founder and CEO of With Not For, a talent agency that challenges the industry to go beyond token representation and embed genuine accessibility within their work.
Ironically, others from the company will be able to attend Cannes Lions next week; as it stands, Kelly cannot. The 'accessible accommodation' that had been booked has no bathroom access for wheelchair users.
Now, Kelly faces steep extra costs to make it to the festival, due to essential accessibility requirements that non-Disabled attendees never have to consider:
- Wheelchair-accessible transportation;
- Accommodation modifications like ramps and mobility equipment;
- An accessible, mobile bathroom solution to also benefit other wheelchair users in Cannes.
It is vital we help tackle these barriers to inclusion so that the Disabled community – who make up 24% of the population – are visible and heard in such influential spaces. We must stop excluding exceptional talent.
Kelly commented, “Ideally, we want companies as opposed to individuals to donate as we would love to see them behind us getting out there. This is about getting our talent on the radar for everyone out there and changing the industry, whether that be representation in ads or more Disabled talent into the industry.
“Alex Hedges, founder of Curious Connections, approached me with the idea to start the crowd funder as this isn’t just about getting me to Cannes; it’s about improving access and opportunities in general for Disabled talent. She is a partner that believes in our mission and is applying it directly to her own business in real time.”
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