Transport for Ireland introduced a new initiative to make commuting more accessible for everyone: the “Please Offer Me a Seat” badge. Designed for passengers with hidden disabilities—conditions not immediately visible to others—the badge needed public awareness and empathy to be effective.
This was never going to be a typical PSA. The issue is sensitive, personal, and often misunderstood. So instead of explaining it from a distance, we brought viewers directly into the emotional reality of those living with hidden conditions—giving them a voice, and letting their perspective shape the story.
The result was a vivid, sensory campaign that challenged assumptions and fostered understanding in a warm, human way.
Agency: TBWA\Dublin
Client: Transport for Ireland
Industry: Public Sector, Accessibility, Transport
Project Type: Public awareness campaign (TV & OOH)
Role: Campaign concept development, creative writing, scriptwriting
Key Outcomes: National visibility, improved public empathy, widespread support for badge rollout
'Hidden disabilities' are exactly what they sound like: not obvious to the eye, but very deeply felt by those who have to deal with them. The challenge we were faced with is a subject that wasn't easily depicted visually, but one that we needed to bring to the attention of a wider audience.
Rather than speak about hidden disabilities, we invited the audience into the lived experience.
The creative leaned into a first-person narrative approach, visually and aurally immersing the viewer in the disorientation, discomfort, and anxiety that someone with a hidden disability might feel on a crowded train or bus.
It was emotional without being sentimental. Informative without being heavy-handed. And always focused on the core message: a little awareness goes a long way.
• A powerful and widely shared TV and OOH campaign
• Strong public engagement across social and commuter channels
• Helped launch the “Please Offer Me a Seat” badge across Ireland
• Praised for its sensitive, human-centred approach to disability awareness
• Public awareness campaign concept
• Strategic messaging development
• TV and OOH scriptwriting
• Tone and narrative consultation
• Voiceover and production guidance
Crafting this campaign required close collaboration with accessibility experts and real individuals living with hidden conditions. Every line of script and moment on screen had to be grounded in authenticity, respect, and clarity.
The hardest thing to communicate was often the most important: that not all disabilities are visible. The creative challenge was to find a tone that felt personal and respectful, but still compelling enough to cut through in a noisy public space.
Freelance copywriter working with agencies, brands and startups.
