Boy in wheelchair spots another child like him in a store ad and it shows why inclusion is so powerful
Things such as inclusivity need to be inculcated in people from an early age, so that they become prevalent values that a society acts on. Sometimes, people of a certain racial group feel empowered when they’re represented, and those with disabilities also feel the same way about their concerns being acknowledged. That’s exactly what a kid, who couldn’t walk, felt when he saw an advertisement of a young girl in a wheelchair as he was out shopping with his mother.
His reaction was as pure as it gets, and it melted the hearts of several people when captured on camera. The video was uploaded on TikTok by the account @ezbruhhspinz. It is a profile of the kid in question, but one may assume that it is controlled by his parents. The video has received 5.7 million likes. In the video, as soon as the boy sees the ad of a girl in a wheelchair, he says, “The girl in the wheelchair is just like me.”
It may seem like a cute internet moment that people can look at and smile, but for the boy, it probably meant a lot more than that. That’s what representation is all about at the end of the day. According to a report in Motherly, the video has received more than 23 million views, and viewers mostly felt a feeling of happiness when they saw it. They made their feelings clear in the comments section.
“Representation truly matters!” one user wrote. “'Kids don’t notice representation,' yes, they do,” another pointed out. “"If you don't think representation matters, you are probably well represented' - Bernice King,” one comment read, followed by, “THIS is diversity, equity, and inclusion,” from another viewer. It’s safe to say that the moment made the kid feel happy and also worked wonders for his presence on social media.
@ezbruhhspinz Just like me… #spinabifida #spinabifidastrong #spinabifidawarrior #spinabifidaawareness #spinabifidabeautiful #target #targetkids #physicaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #wheelchair #wheelchairkids #wheelz #IYKYK @Em + Abby @target ♬ Dreams - Acoustic - Jada Facer & Dave Moffatt
Representation can not only make a child feel good in certain moments, but can also massively shape the way they see themselves as they grow up. According to an earlier report in A Second Chance, a mother named Lindsay Filcik shared why representation matters for kids. Her daughter had Down syndrome, and she revealed in an Instagram post in which she wrote that if a child with some kind of disability always sees able-bodied kids around them, they would feel that they were “abnormal.”
“Now imagine that same child seeing commercials, characters in movies and books, and dolls made to look like them. What an inclusive message that sends. You are a human, worthy of being included! You are human, just like everybody else! Representation matters!” she added.
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She had uploaded multiple pictures of her daughter playing with her dolls in the post. Every single one of them represented her condition, and the child seemed as happy as ever playing with them. Several users commended her outlook and praised her in the comments section. “My heart smiles! So happy to see these beautiful babies & their dolls! Representation matters & is so important!” one user commented. “Right On! We've been saying for years--Representation Matters. Beautiful Girl!” added another.
For more such content, follow @ezbruhhspinz on TikTok.