Disability isn't extraordinary – with A. Melotti

A conversation with Audrey Melotti, consultant in inclusive communication

Audrey is a freelance consultant specialising in digital and inclusive communication strategy. She combines her expertise and personal experience of disability to raise awareness and support businesses. On her Instagram account, L’actu silencieuse, she simplifies complex ideas, such as ableism.

In this interview, Audrey shared her vision for a world where disability is recognised as a natural part of life, rather than something extraordinary. She explained how society and businesses can help foster inclusion.

We also discussed activism, social media, mental health, and the representation of Disabled people in mainstream media and the film industry – a crucial step towards changing perceptions.

Ableism, normalising disability, and inclusion

When did you first learn about ableism?

I’ve always had a strong personality. Even as a child, I felt that the way people looked at me and the comments they made weren’t normal. I felt fine with my disability, but I didn’t want to be stigmatised. I often avoided disability-related spaces because I didn’t want to be labelled. Then, when I was around 18, I realised this issue had a name: ableism. I understood that it was the societal ableist norms at the heart of the problem, systemic discrimination.

What is your goal as an activist?

My goal is to normalise disability to help include Disabled people. This allows us to be integrated from the start, so no one questions our presence, and the necessary accommodations are just there for everyone to benefit from, without having to ask for them.

I’ll give you an example. To use the disabled toilets in my school, I had to ask for the lift key that led to it. I had to ask for it every time I needed to go. If there had been accessible toilets on every floor, I wouldn’t have had to do that nor to justify myself. When we consider accommodations from the start, it removes all of that. It saves us so much time. That’s why normalising disability is so important.

You mentioned your commitment to Muslim women. What common challenges do you see with Disabled people?

That’s true. Originally, my focus was on Muslim women entrepreneurs, because it’s better to choose an audience you understand when you first start. I know Muslim women, and I know Disabled people. There are many common challenges, like mental load, imposter syndrome, and self-sabotage.

I’ve noticed that these particularly affect women. On social media, they’re exposed to a lot of hate. As soon as a woman wearing a hijab communicates, people only see the hijab. She becomes the hijab. Muslim women are often more vulnerable, just like Disabled women. It can be harder for them to find work or clients because of that. There’s also the investment of time and energy that goes into their religion or health, which requires good planning skills.

I like the idea of reassuring women from these communities because I understand them. I think that’s what I do best right now. But if we look at the bigger picture, I care about inclusion in general. So, I support all kinds of women entrepreneurs and, sometimes, companies and schools through workshops and talks.

Inclusive communication on disability for businesses

As a business, how can we normalise disability?

A simple thing businesses can do is communicating the accessibility of their events. If they don’t, as a Disabled person, I have to pick up the phone and ask. I sometimes have to justify my disability over the phone. It shows a lack of respect for my privacy and it’s seen as something unusual.

People think disability is rare, that it doesn’t affect many people, but that’s completely false! It’s just that we have other things to do in life than constantly picking up the phone for basic information. This automatically excludes us. If the event isn’t accessible, it should be stated. It saves us time.

Where can we start to create inclusive communication?

Inclusive communication isn’t just about disability, but diversity in general. But if we focus on disability, we need to look at the accessibility of editorial content. We need to be mindful of the language we us – and don’t use. Visual representations are just as important. Inclusion isn’t about placing a photo of a person in a wheelchair on a website. We need to consider all types of disability to avoid clichés.

How can we represent invisible disabilities?

Normally. By reflecting the reality of what it’s like for someone impacted on a daily basis. But when we say “invisible”, that’s not quite accurate. It’s sometimes subtle, but not really invisible.

For example, when taking team photos in the workplace, you could leave fidget toys on a desk.

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These small objects can be very helpful for autistic individuals, people with anxiety, or those struggling with focus. They help manage stress by providing a sensory or emotional distraction. Such photos can be part of a strategy to normalise disability. These are genuine representations, without making a big deal.

How should a business respond to someone pointing out an accessibility issue on social media?

Always respond to the comments. A big mistake I often see in communication is deleting negative comments or ignoring them. Never do that. Your credibility will take a hit, it’s unprofessional. It might suggest that you don’t know your subject or that you don’t care.

If you receive relevant feedback or if someone is disappointed, you must respond. Ideally, this should be planned in your editorial guidelines. So, you address these points, try to sound like a person and not a robot. And always prioritise honesty. If there’s a mistake, own up to it and apologise. It’s that simple. And if you don’t have an immediate answer, explain that you will look into it and get back to the person with more details as soon as possible. Don’t adopt the ‘invisibility cloak’ strategy – it doesn’t work.

And of course, raise the issue internally. Address it, and if needed, bring in experts to help solve it.

Technical expertise on accessibility seems to be improving. But I’m not sure people fully understand disability yet. What does a good awareness initiative look like?

People just need to listen to us. There’s no point in trying to keep them with blindfolds on for an hour. That makes no sense and that’s not a fair representation of what being Disabled means. Such activities only reinforce stereotypes. A little common sense and empathy are all that’s needed.

For example, imagine a roundtable where Disabled people share their experiences with non-disabled people (HR, disability coordinators, etc.) in relation to ableism. The goal is to adopt active listening, understand, and come up with solutions together. People might be shocked by what they hear. Often, it’s about things that have been said in front of us, verbal or physical abuse – it happens more often than you’d think.

Activism, social media and mental health

Can non-disabled people advocate for accessibility?

It’s true that we, Disabled people, experience discrimination, violence, exclusion, illness, and so on. It’s in our bodies and minds that something happens. But every struggle needs allies. Sometimes, it’s easier to have people who can take over.

For example, it’s interesting when the community manager isn’t personally involved in the cause they defend because it protects them somewhat from the emotional attachment we might feel. It still touches them, but not in the same way.

If the cause is shared, it also normalises disability. If we want inclusion, we must do it together. Excluding non-disabled people from this struggle will only reinforce their ableism.

Some activists adopt a confrontational tone. Is this the right method to convince people?

It depends on the context. When I work with a company, I take a pedagogical approach. But on my Instagram account dedicated to disability and ableism, it’s activism, so I take fewer detours.

Some activist groups use more aggressive methods because it’s a way to appeal to people’s emotions, provoke anger and highlight the injustice of the situation. These groups are willing to shake things up because we’re also tired of asking politely. And political correctness doesn’t always work.

So, for each type of profile (business, association, institution...), you adopt various tones depending on the goals and target audience, and that’s normal. You can’t apply the same editorial approach everywhere. Flexibility is key. When being very confrontational, it’s mostly to speak to those already convinced, to energise them. It’s not meant to convince or educate people.

Among committed professionals, I feel like we’re not very forgiving on social media.

Again, it all depends on the context. If someone’s unknowingly doing something wrong, it’s better to correct them in private and always in a kind manner. Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s normal. I make mistakes too. If those comments aren’t heard, we can choose not to engage with that person or not recommend them. Nothing ever justifies online harassment.

However, for a company, media outlet, or collective, it’s a bit different. There are media outlets focusing on disability that ignore comments about the lack of accessibility of their content. This is well-known and has been going on for years. At some point, you can consider boycotting that media. If your business’s focus is disability, you can’t afford not to add alt-text on images that carry important information. It’s incoherent and disrespectful! Especially when it’s that simple to fix. It’s okay not to know everything. But we can’t just say, "I don’t know." There are people who do know, so we go and ask them how to fix the problem.

Are Disabled people responsible for challenging these media?

I do think the Disabled community should be more engaged with these issues, more politicised. If we don’t share our opinions, it’s unfortunately logical that they won’t be heard. We have to fight for everything, that’s how things progress. By maintaining power dynamics. But disability is an issue that concerns everyone, directly or indirectly. We’ll age, lose autonomy, that’s just how it is. Workplace accidents, traffic accidents... They happen too. So, it’s a collective effort, including from non-disabled people.

Disability representation in the media

Do you have a great example of communication about disability on social media?

One interesting approach is to combine social media campaigns with legal actions. Two months ago, I attended a documentary screening organised by Droit Pluriel, a French association. The documentary shows the legal journey of two blind people, including Arthur, a man who was brutally kicked out of a supermarket because of his guide dog. If the altercation in the supermarket hadn’t been filmed and shared on social media, perhaps there wouldn’t have been a trial, and the complaint would never have gone anywhere.

By posting these images on social media, people can also find a lawyer to defend them. It’s important to understand that legal action is very expensive. Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean we’ll easily get justice. It costs money, time, and energy. The attention on social media likely helped.

What do you think about disability representation in the media?

Less than 1% of the people represented in the media are disabled. We can wonder if, one day, we’ll see someone using a wheelchair presenting the news, or a blind person. Why isn’t the news always translated into sign language?

We can ask this for the media but also in films. Why do we only cast non-disabled people to play Disabled characters? I don’t think that’s necessary. Especially when you can tell they’re not disabled!

On the other hand, one sector that’s offering more diversity now is advertising. In short formats, we’re increasingly seeing people with Down Syndrome, people using wheelchairs, amputees... And their role isn’t just about being disabled. It’s just one aspect of who they are. However, I never see people with crutches. I don’t feel represented anywhere. Anyway, I hope diversity in short formats encourages longer formats to follow suit. Because this representation contributes to normalising disability.

Mental health, activism, disability representation... How does it all fit together for you?

It’s a bit difficult, to be honest. Some days we feel great, very motivated, and think we’re going to move mountains. Then there are other days when the smallest negative comment impacts us enormously. I protect myself by avoiding certain content.

For example, I haven’t watched the French movie "Un p’tit truc en plus" by Artus. I don’t know how I would react. Maybe it’s good. Maybe it would traumatise me. For me, disability is very serious. Jokes about Disabled people aren’t funny to me. I don’t want to feel sad or offended when watching them.

So, I think that when you’re an activist, you need to know when to avoid things that could affect you. If you don’t want to engage in confrontational activism, it’s better to focus on raising awareness or working with associations. But not the management-type associations. There are other kinds of associations that do a great job.