When Every Child Can See Themselves on Screen

discovering that differences do not divide us

What does a child learn when they discover that differences do not separate characters, but are also part of play and life?

For a long time, many children watched television without seeing themselves reflected in it. They did not see bodies like their own, or other ways of communicating, moving or perceiving the world.

When a child experiencing one of these realities did appear, their difference was often presented as a difficulty that needed to be explained or as the exceptional subject of a story.

But in recent years, children's television series have been changing this perspective. Children with different abilities no longer appear only to star in a special episode. They are part of the play: they make mistakes, imagine, laugh and participate in everyday life on screen.

This change accompanies another, slower and deeper one, which we are also experiencing as mothers and fathers:

learning to recognize differences as part of human diversity.

For years, many families felt pushed into living these realities behind closed doors, not because of a lack of love or pride, but because the world outside could be terribly hostile. Persistent stares, comments, discomfort and a lack of accessibility could turn an ordinary outing into a moment of tension.

Staying at home often seemed like the only way to protect themselves.

Little by little, we are making progress. Not only inside our homes, but also on television, at school and in cultural spaces. Because every child has the right to see themselves reflected in stories, to enjoy the same spaces and to learn about a world in which there are many ways of communicating, moving, feeling and living.

Some series to keep watching as a family

There are children's programmes that have begun to portray different abilities as a natural part of their characters' lives.

Balamory. Penny Pocket uses a wheelchair, but this characteristic does not define her stories. She is a resourceful, practical woman who can find solutions to the everyday problems of her community.

Mr Bloom’s Nursery. In this CBeebies programme, a gardener shares the tasks of tending his garden with children of different abilities. Everyone takes part, discovers and learns together, without their differences needing to become the main subject.

Something Special. Justin Fletcher plays and explores different places with children who have different ways of communicating, learning or moving. The programme also uses Makaton signs to support communication.

Pablo. The main character is an autistic boy who uses his drawings and imagination to understand the situations he experiences. In addition, its main characters are played by autistic people.

Bluey. In the episode Turtleboy, we meet Dougie, a deaf boy who communicates with his mother using Australian Sign Language. His way of communicating is part of the story without becoming a problem that needs to be solved.

Peppa Pig. Mandy Mouse uses a wheelchair and naturally takes part in school activities. More recently, George began using a hearing aid after it was discovered that he had hearing loss.

Sesame Street. Julia is an autistic girl who plays, draws and shares neighbourhood life with the other characters. Her presence helps show that not all children communicate, play or respond in the same way.

What makes these series valuable is not simply that they include characters with different abilities, but that they allow them to take part in adventures, games and everyday life without always making their differences the centre of the story.

At Creative Family, we ask:

How do you talk about different abilities at home?

Yours,

Clody.