(The article was first published on parentsdome.com)
If you’ve ever watched Mad Men, the popular TV show, you’ll know just how chaotic the world of advertising can be. It’s a mad-cap world, and it’s the kind of industry that seems to no real scruples as to the lengths it will go to sell something.
For the most part, advertising can seem like a pretty grubby and unsatisfying business. If you want to see a bit of faith restored in the ads world, though, you only need to see little Oliver.
Oliver is a kid who is in a wheelchair, and he says that he never gets to see “other kids like him”. Once you’ve picked your heart up from all of the shattered pieces it just broke into, read on.
Oliver was in a Target store with his mother, Demi, and they spotted a Target ad that showed a child similar to Oliver. He apparently stared at it in awe for some time. He suffers from a condition known as Cadual Regression Syndrome, and it means that he uses a wheelchair.
Speaking about what she saw, Demi said: “He recognized another boy like him, smiling and laughing. Oliver sees kids every day, but he never gets to see kids like him. That was amazing! I am so happy that other kids that pass through here with their parents will see this.”
The Importance of Representing Diversity
For most kids, going through life and meeting people just like them it's easy, especially at a young age. For kids with a difference, though, it can be that bit tougher to meet people who they can relate to. With Oliver, then, the challenge came from meeting other kids who needed a wheelchair.
Now, though, he can say that he’s not part of the marginalized. Thanks to a solid ad ran by Target, at least one little kid now feels far better about himself.
As a kid, we should be able to enjoy life without questions; that’s what it sounds like little Oliver is doing and looks set to continue doing for the foreseeable future.