Dolls with a difference

How Barbie with disabilities teaches kids of all abilities

Global toy manufacturer, Mattel, recently launched a Barbie doll with physical features resembling someone with Down’s Syndrome. But this isn’t the first time Barbie has ventured into the disability space. In years prior, we’ve also seen Barbie in a wheelchair. Better still, other toy brands with similar dolls have included a diverse range of disabilities - from dolls with prosthetic legs, to those with guide dogs.

As a person with disabilities, I was delighted to see the dolls, not because I wanted one to play house with - I’m an adult now and I have grown out of dolls - but I was, and still am, so excited for all the young people who can now feel ‘seen’ and represented. I hope they feel like less of an ‘alien’, as I’ve heard one person describe their disability, and not feeling like they fit in.

I’m not just excited by the positive changes this can bring about for children with disabilities. Through my work, I know the power of visibility and seeing or hearing about disability, whether that’s on a television screen, on a podcast, on social media, in a toy box or somewhere else. Let’s not forget that those non-disabled children may be future employers or leaders who are making decisions that involve people with disabilities. If they’ve grown up in an environment where disability and education about disability is normalised, they are less likely to become an adult with unconscious biases and discriminatory attitudes at school or in the workplace.

Sometimes, when I think about the changes that need to happen in the disability sector, I become overwhelmed. Yes, a lot of things aren’t happening, but over the years I’m honoured to have witnessed and sometimes taken part in some of the things that are working and moving forwards.

Sure, people with disabilities – the world’s largest minority, according to the UN – still have a long way to go before we achieve equality and equity. These ‘smaller wins’ (a doll with disability features) might not be a massive education or healthcare reform, but they are still a win.

All of these small wins add up to create enormous societal shifts and changes in public perception. Learning about disability inclusion is something that children can now begin at a very young age and that has the power to affect things like employment outcomes and more in the future.

LISA COX TEDx Speaker, author and award-winning consultant www.lisacox.co