Representation

Representation is so important. We are seeing more diversity within the media and on our television screens than ever, but I still think we need more.

When I was growing up the only advertisement, I saw disability in the media once every four years (we only had free-to-air-tv) and that was the lead up and during the Paralympic Games, otherwise there was nothing around disability in the media.

Emily Prior first appeared in one of Target Australia’s biggest catalogues of the year, the Mid Year Catelouge in 2015, a few months later she appeared on the front of Target kid’s fashion catalogue, along with their advertising store. She became the first disabled cover girl. She featured again on the front cover for their Back to School campaign in 2017, as well as in store advertising, as well as other catalogues in 2018, 2019.

In 2016 Robyn Lambird been featured in a Target campaign for active wear. Robyn become the first disabled adult that uses a wheelchair to be featured in a nation-wide campaign.

Through seeing these girls in campaigns, other brands have done the same. With people’s help/experience the message is getting across that there are others and it is okay to be different. Diversity is showing up in the media more and more and therefore we are educating others, but we need more than this.

Late last month I did a social media course and through this course I met a wonderful kid Imani, they it’s a kid who writes middle grade books about diversity. Before this I didn’t realise that there isn’t enough of children’s picture books with diverse characters in them. As a child we read a lot of books, it’s either told to us by our parents or we read them ourselves. There isn’t many books out there tell about diverse character.

Click here to find out more of this book.

I believe that education throughout the media and in books is so important. Not only for disabled people, but also for the diverse community. If people know more about diversity, then I believe that one day there will be a world where everyone is included, as we are all different and unique in our own ways.