‘Very surreal and just so special’: Winnipegger stars in newest Apple commercial

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Peggy

Apple commercials typically showcase the latest and greatest gadgets from the tech giant – and one Winnipeg woman is using her appearance in a recent ad to highlight how living with a disability doesn’t slow her down.

Melissa Shapiro, a 26-year-old policy analyst, was born with only one hand – but some Apple features allow her to use the company’s products just like anyone else.

Shapiro appears at the beginning of the commercial readying for a workout. With a flick of her fingers, her Apple Watch comes to life – and Good Times by Jungle starts playing.

“It was so surreal – that’s the word I keep using,” Shapiro told CTV News Friday about her commercial debut. “Very surreal and just so special.”

Shapiro landed on Apple’s radar because of her Instagram page where she posts videos about adaptive fitness and exercise.

“I have a really cool workout device – kind of similar to a prosthetic… but it doesn’t really look like an arm,” Shapiro explained. “It has a harness that I wear over my shoulder and under my armpits… and there’s a chain that allows me to grip onto a weight.”

Her videos also highlight other aspects of living with a disability including how technology plays a role in her everyday life.

“It’s really remarkable that technology is such an aid for so many people,” Shapiro said. “It just creates more accessibility features and advancements to inclusion. And I think inclusion and accessibility go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other.”

One of the videos included a review of her Apple Watch and features she uses like AssistiveTouch – and it must have caught the eye of someone at Apple.

Earlier this year, Shapiro was approached by a casting agency through Instagram and asked if she’d be interested in appearing in a commercial. As talks progressed, she learned it was for Apple. She flew to Toronto in August to film her portion of the ad, which includes other people living with disabilities.

“It’s really amazing to have representation in media, especially for disabled folks,” she explained.

Shapiro’s advocacy work for people in the disabled community is nothing new – as an above-elbow amputee, she was a member of the War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program since birth, and has since graduated to what the non-profit organization calls a “Champ Adult.”

Since the commercial debuted, Shapiro said she’s heard from a few War Amps families thrilled to see her in the spotlight.

“Kind of just inspiring those children to want to do something like this – to see themselves as somebody who could be in a commercial, to represent disability with pride, and to say, ‘This can happen to anyone and you don’t have to be a non-disabled person to do cool things.’”

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