Dis-Inspirational Quotes: Turning Inspiration Inside out to Spotlight Healthcare Inequality

May. 28, 2025

The Missing Billion Initiative, in collaboration with social-first creative agency Kurio (part of SAMY Alliance), has launched a powerful new social-first campaign, Dis-Inspirational Quotes, to spotlight the healthcare inequalities faced by women with disabilities.

The campaign, which was co-created with women with lived experience and illustrated by disabled artist Laura Loukola, reimagines inspirational quotes as bleak but truthful reflections of the systemic barriers these women face, transforming phrases like "Carpe Diem" into "Carpe Diabetes" to expose the stark data behind the daily struggle for care and visibility.

The goal of the campaign is to drive awareness and grassroots support for health system reform by giving visibility to those most frequently overlooked.

Kurio developed a social-first creative strategy built for virality. Inspirational quotes, ubiquitous on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, were subverted to deliver hard-hitting truths such as:

• LIVE. LAUGH. DIE. 20 YEARS EARLIER THAN EXPECTED.
• CARPE DIABETES.
• EVERY DAY IS A SECOND CHANCE – TO RECEIVE POOR MEDICAL TREATMENT.

Dis-Inspirational Quotes launches alongside a new global report by the Missing Billion Initiative highlighting the intersectional challenges women with disabilities face in accessing healthcare. Key findings include:

• Women with disabilities receive poor treatment twice as often as those without disabilities.
• They are 50% less likely to report being in good health.
• They have a life expectancy 10–20 years shorter than non-disabled women.

Mari Tikkanen, co-founder of the Missing Billion Initiative, commented:

“Women face inequality in healthcare. People with disabilities do too. But for women living with disabilities, these challenges are compounded. The system must change to work for everyone, not just the majority.”

 

Jari Lähdevuori, Kurio's Executive Creative Director, commented:

“Being a pro bono campaign, there wasn’t a chance for media placements. We wanted an approach that would have a viral potential on social media. An approach that was born and bred on social.”

 

The campaign launched during two major global events, the Skoll World Forum in Oxford and the Global Disability Summit in Berlin, via flyposters and digital displays. It is now being amplified across social platforms, with dedicated channels on Instagram and Pinterest showcasing the full set of visuals.