In early 2021, a viral trend had been spreading across TikTok in which users doubted Helen Keller’s existence and dismissed her accomplishments because she did not have sight or hearing. Shortly afterward, “Feeling Through,” the first film to star an actor who is deafblind, and the documentary “Crip Camp,” were nominated for Academy Awards, creating a timely opportunity for Perkins School for the Blind to refute these harmful misperceptions on TikTok.

Perkins, which Keller attended, advocates for disability inclusion and combats ableism, the false belief that people with disabilities are less capable of success than their peers. Solomon McCown & Cence recommended that Perkins President & CEO Dave Power write an op-ed juxtaposing the TikTok trend with the important messages from these Oscar nominees to call for disability inclusion across society. SM&C supported Perkins in developing and placing the op-ed in The Boston Globe.