Apple’s new ad film makes the case for accessibility through ordinary routines

Apple’s new campaign for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities builds on a direction the company has been shaping for years: portraying accessibility as part of everyday life rather than a moment of inspiration. The film, created by Apple Marcom and directed by Kim Gehrig, focuses on students with disabilities and the role technology plays in helping them participate fully in the college experience.

The story moves across campus settings where students study, take part in extracurricular activities, socialise, and navigate their routines. In each moment, accessibility features appear as tools that support participation rather than as symbols of limitation or achievement. VoiceOver, Live Captions, AssistiveTouch, Magnifier on Mac, Braille Access, Accessibility Reader, and Sound and Name Recognition are shown as part of the Apple ecosystem that students use to move through their day.

The film’s narrative is carried by a musical performance set to “I’m Not Remarkable” by Kittyy & The Class. The song pushes back against the idea that disabled people must be seen as inspirational. Instead, it positions the students as ordinary participants in campus life who expect the same independence, mobility, and social freedom as their peers. The cast, made up of PWD students from different parts of the world, sings and dances through classrooms, residence halls, studios, and parties, reinforcing the idea that they are neither more nor less remarkable than anyone else on campus.

The direction by Gehrig ties this film to Apple’s broader accessibility work. She previously directed the 2022 Emmy Award–winning short ‘The Greatest’, which marked a shift in how the brand approached disability representation by focusing on everyday moments rather than dramatic narratives.

Since then, the brand has continued to build this framework through ‘The Lost Voice’ directed by Taika Waititi, the Paralympic tribute ‘The Relay’, the Emmy-nominated ‘Heartstrings’, and the docu-style series ‘No Frame Missed’. The new film follows this lineage by keeping the attention on lived experience.

The Lost Voice by Taika Waititi

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TBWA\Media Arts Lab (@tbwamal)

Heartstrings

What makes this campaign stand out is its clarity of purpose. The objective is not to celebrate the technology itself but to show what becomes possible when accessibility is built into it. The film positions these tools as part of a larger environment that allows students with disabilities to participate in academics, social life, and personal exploration. By keeping the focus on everyday participation rather than exceptional achievement, the campaign argues that accessibility is not an add-on. It is a requirement for equal opportunity.