The disability community is applauding one of the pieces included in a television ad campaign from Liberty Mutual that explores the different ways different people choose to do the right thing. The 60-second spot, titled “Election,” features actress Teal Sherer, who uses a wheelchair onscreen and off.

In the ad, Teal Sherer is shown going about her morning, fixing her makeup, and then heading out into the rain only to find her car doesn’t start. She takes her wheelchair out of the car and wheels through the rain to the bus stop. When her ride arrives at its destination, she deftly maneuvers through the parking lot, bending over to dodge a railing between her and her destination: a school gymnasium that houses a polling center. Viewers then see Teal Sherer cast her ballot while a voiceover gently reminds them that, “Every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing.”

Four spots in total were included in the Liberty Mutual campaign centering on the issue of responsibility. “Election” stands out. “Even though the spot is intended to remind us all of the responsibility and privilege of exercising our right to vote, it’s also a masterful and authentic representation of people with disabilities,” reads one comment left on the Liberty Mutual website dedicated to the project. The comment, signed by C. Bruno of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, continues: “Thank you, Liberty Mutual, for realizing that people with disabilities can live full, productive, and independent lives! And yes, we have money to spend . . . and we VOTE!!!”

Disability Community Cheers
It’s clear from this type of response by a member of the disability community that Liberty Mutual did its homework before getting to work developing the ad. The company tested the planned images using focus groups of both wheelchair users and people who don’t use wheelchairs. Teal Sherer herself was also an invaluable resource for the company.

“Auditioning for the commercial was an interesting process,” Teal Sherer says. “[Liberty Mutual] just wanted to get to know me. They also were interested in how people treated me and what bugged me about how they did.”

Real-Life Disability Experience
The company even modified some of the original plans for the ad based on Teal Sherer’s real-life experience. “I was very much involved in the production,” she says. “They made it clear from the beginning that they wanted the commercial to be as authentic as possible and for me to do everything that I would normally do. For example, at first they had me driving a van. I told them that I don't drive a van but a four-door car and I told them about how I transfer into it and put my wheelchair in it. So, they changed that in the commercial.”

But the ad conveys even more than a “day in the life snapshot” of a person with a disability. “The message is also about not letting anything hold you back,” Teal Sherer says. “There are no excuses not to be responsible. If you are faced with a problem, you find a way to get around it. You don't settle for what life hands you; you take control.”

Actors with Disabilities Under-Represented
Actors with disabilities are still under-represented in Hollywood in all areas—TV shows, films, and even commercials, which is why projects like this one from Liberty Mutual stand out so much when they’re successful. “The casting call specifically called for disabled female actors and they were the only ones who auditioned for it,” Teal Sherer reports. “I think that is groundbreaking, and I hope that it influences others to start casting performers with disabilities.”

In the Liberty Mutual ad, Teal Sherer doesn’t once come off as a superhero or someone in need of viewers’ pity. Instead her onscreen portrayal of a person with a disability is close to what her life off-screen is like: she is, simply, a person with a disability, living a productive life, and choosing to do the right thing over the easy thing. Groundbreaking, indeed.

Teal Sherer is a founding member of Blue Zone Productions, a theatre company in Los Angeles that promotes artists with disabilities. She just produced their first show, The History of Bowling.