Representation matters

I am a white woman.
I grew up middle class
My heath needs are pretty easily masked.


And until I had a daughter with special needs I did not truly understand why representation in books, TV, print ads, store displays and toys matters.

Sure I thought it was cool. I grew up with a mom who worked to help people with disabilities have independence in their homes so wheelchairs and ramps were not uncommon in my life, however it was just a social level of thinking that something was cool... I didn't understand the depth of it. People looked like me all over the place.


But Jillian notices EVERY time someone looks like her. She lights up every time she spots a child in a wheelchair in a children's book, even if it is an unnamed character. Her favorite episodes of Sesame Street at the ones with Tara. She shows all of us anytime a print ad has someone with a disability pictured. She loves to watch the Daniel Tiger and Mr. Rogers episodes with Krissy.

I use to be a classroom teacher so I have a large collection of children's books so when we are looking at new books for our house I am a bit more picky because I want books of quality and one of the first things I look for is to see if there are people with different disabilities and people with different skin colors in the book.


Because I see now how much all of the matters. I see how a picture of someone who has disabilities in a book tells my child she belongs in this world. I can say it over and over again, but there is something bigger when the world says it to her too. Kids trust what their parents tell them however they are always testing what their parents say against what the world is also telling them, so I need the world to also tell my kids that they belong here too, and an easy place we can do that is by representing all people in books, television, ads, and toys.

I knew that a new wheelchair Barbie had been released. My kids play with my wheelchair Barbie (what my kids call this doll) when we are at my parents and they were gifted an old wheelchair Barbie that was bought online that came out many years ago, however there has not been a Barbie sold since my daughter was born that uses a wheelchair. But I wanted to give my daughter the joy of seeing a doll like her in a store so we waited and decided that whatever store we found the doll at first on a shelf with the rest of the Barbies would be the store we bought it at...

Today was the day. We ran to Target after church to pick a couple things up quick and were going through the clearance isles to find things for RMH (they need baby dolls, 10in + sized stuffed animals and 18in dolls right now) and came across the new Barbie who uses a wheelchair. My kids literally squealed! While my kids don't need any more toys and I am spending time this week going through their toys, this toys was different... this toy was special... this toy makes a statement.

So thank you Mattel for making this doll. Thank you Target for selling it in store... that is HUGE!

Now here are my challenges...

1. Buy toys for your child that represent ALL people. Use your dollars to show companies that they should make more toys like this Barbie
2. Stores, there is an African American Barbie who uses a wheelchair... carry her in store too!
3. I know it is hard when you are white and able bodied to understand why representation matters but I promise you it does SO much... so please listen. Please don't blow this off because you don't understand. Please stop to listen here and then act with your words and your dollars and what you teach your children.
4. Mattel, I would challenge you to keep growing in diversity. There are A LOT of kids with disabilities in the world, and the parents of kids with disabilities are really fast to support things that represent our kids. I love that you sell a few different kits for American Girl dolls like the diabetes set or the arm crutches, and we are so thankful for that representation, but lets keep going! Bring back the wheelchair for Little People, make a Girl of the Year doll that talks about disabilities (I'll help!), use your Polly Pocket line to include more people... you have so many toy lines, and there are SO many possibilities! Other toy makers... lets make this a trend, together we can work together to make the world more inclusive and it starts with the toys our children play with!
 

When we got home and I posted a picture of Jillian with her new doll she was so worried that what would happen if I posted the picture of her with her new Barbie and other kids wanted that Barbie too and what if the stores were out of stock. We bought her new Barbie at the Target near our church so to help her anxiety we looked online and I showed her that they were in stock at other Targets too... and she noticed online that there is also a new Barbie with a prosthetic leg... and its sold IN STORE at the Target by out house... you can guess what this little girl is saving up her money to buy next!