In the news this week: Sesame Street have introduced Julia, a character with autism.
Described as a girl who ‘does things a little differently’, Julia spends an afternoon with Elmo and Abby Cadabby, while Elmo describes her own unique qualities to Abby and the audience.
Terrific, I thought. Another win for the Children’s Television Workshop, who have never shied away from difficult topics.
And then I looked at some of the comments online, and my heart sank.
Unnecessary and uncomfortable, said one person. A dangerous stereotype, said yet another.
Oh, and my personal favourite – someone who said that it glamourised a condition that people caught from vaccines, an argument wrong on so many levels that I don’t even know… Read the full story