Research Case Study — CalABLE
Helping a state government program find and serve people living with disabilities
The Problem
CalABLE is a state savings and investment program that gives people the tools to save for disability-related expenses. It’s a potentially life changing financial service, and CalABLE was doing an excellent job of growing awareness that it existed.
That said, once audiences were exposed to the program, they were still reluctant to open and fund accounts. There was a need for this service, but no trust. CalABLE needed to understand the particular barriers and pain points for those living with disabilities, their families, and their advocates.
The Program
Program 11 understands that people living with disabilities – and those who support them – aren’t a homogenous “community.” Our survey development and design needed to reflect our goal of developing materials to help each audience during the consideration stage of their journey. Our research program began with comparative research and analysis to understand the trust-building tactics of other financial programs serving marginalized populations.
We then identified and surveyed panels that include a representative sample of people nationwide who live with a disability or have a household member that lives with a disabilities.
Our a-ha moment: We know that trust takes time, and understanding. We discovered that what was missing were deeper, more instructional content pieces that were also inclusive and accessible.
How it’s going
Program 11 began by rebranding the program with more clear, accessible visuals and messaging.
We then introduced a suite of Spanish-language materials, as well as content for those in the deaf community.
Our most important effort was the development of Instructional Marketing guides that educate those who work with and serve people living with disabilities, supporting the flywheel effect of one to many. These guides have been downloaded and used by hundreds of organizations statewide and around the country.
