The project aims to explore how people with physical disabilities are represented by brands on social media and how they perceive and interpret their portrayal.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2006), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. This definition emphasises the distinction between impairment (an individual's particular type of difference or difficulty: physical, sensory, cognitive, psychosocial and others or combinations) and disability (the way that they are responded to by society).

Inclusive marketing has received increasing academic attention in recent years (e.g. Patrick & Hollenbeck, 2021; Tuli et al., 2025). However, this growing body of research remains fragmented and uneven in scope. Much of the literature focuses on certain diversity categories (Eisend et al., 2023) - mainly ethnicity (Licsandru & Cui, 2019), gender (Gurrieri et al., 2018; Pérez Curiel et al., 2023; Lucarelli, 2022), or LGBTQ+ identities (2005; Pounders & Mabry-Flynn, 2016; Tsai, 2012) - while the representation of people with disabilities (PwD) is still underexplored (Tuli et al., 2025; Branca et al., 2024). Moreover, most studies address how marketing content can be adapted to the needs of PwD, while little is known about how this group is actually portrayed in brand communication, whether they are represented at all, and how these portrayals are perceived by the community itself (Grieco, 2024).

In particular, social media - an increasingly dominant space for brand-consumer interaction - remains under-researched in the context of inclusive marketing. Existing studies tend to prioritize inclusion strategies or accessible design, but fail to explore representational dynamics and the consumer voice in digital contexts (Fisk et al., 2018; Patrick & Hollenbeck, 2021). Additionally, little is known about cross-cultural variation within Europe in terms of how inclusion is practiced and perceived. Examining cross-cultural variation is crucial, as cultural contexts shape how inclusion is practiced and perceived, ensuring that the project's outcomes are relevant and applicable across Europe.

The specific objectives of this project are:

• To identify visual and narrative strategies used by local brands (from Ireland, Poland, Spain) in portraying people with physical disabilities on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
• To assess the frequency, tone, and context of such representations across three diverse European regions: Northern (Ireland), Southern (Spain), and Central-Eastern (Poland).
• To involve people with disabilities as active participants in interpreting selected brand communications and reflecting on their social implications.
• To give visibility to underrepresented consumer voices and uncover their expectations regarding inclusive communication.
• To draft a set of recommendations and best practices for companies and marketing professionals about ethical representation practices through dedicated awareness events (e.g. Inclusive Visibility Forums) and open-access dissemination.
• To strengthen transnational, interdisciplinary research collaboration focused on inclusive and challenge-based research.

This project addresses an urgent societal need. People with physical disabilities make up one of the largest minority groups in Europe (Council of Europe, 2025), yet they are routinely overlooked in marketing narratives. This project contributes to both the theory and practice of inclusive marketing by highlighting disabled consumers' perspectives on their digital visibility, authenticity, and agency.