Representation is so important for kids to realise that their uniqueness does not make them ‘less than’ others in any way. Putting one foot forward is the first-ever blind Barbie.
The company behind Barbie, Mattel, partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in the US, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), to get the details of the dolls just right, reports BBC.
And there are plenty of details, from the cane that she carries to the textured clothes that she wears that will make the experience of playing with the doll better for those with impaired vision.
The new Barbie’s eyes will look a little different from her predecessors, in order to reflect the gaze of many blind people.
But the kids will notice a difference in the feel of the Barbie from the get-go. For one thing, the box she’ll come in will have Barbie written in Braille, a language written using raised dots that blind people use to read.
BBC broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards said on BBC’s channel that a blind Barbie “means everything” to her.
She said: “As a teenager, I felt isolated by losing my eyesight and not seeing role models like me.
“I was embarrassed by my cane – but knowing Barbie had a cane would have made me feel so differently about mine and helped me feel less alone on my journey to accept and embrace my blindness.”
The move to launch a blind Barbie comes about a year after Mattel released another doll to promote inclusivity; a Barbie with Down Syndrome.