On March 20, 2017 at 3:28 a.m., Sesame Street announced that they will introduce a new Muppet character on television in April. Julia, a little girl Muppet with red hair and a favorite bunny clutched in her hand has autism and have appeared in Sesame Street’s online digital storybook series back in 2015. This character won’t just represent people that have autism or Asperger’s syndrome, but also help children better understand kids with autism. Julia’s puppeteer, Stacey Gordon has a son with autism. This intrigues me because I feel like society don’t treat autistic people with enough respect or even try to really got to know them better. I know this all too well since I too have autism. I grew up seeing autism as nothing more than just a curse, but now I know that I’m more than just someone with a disability. This article actually gave me some hope knowing that kids will soon have a better understanding of autism from watching Julia on t.v. because I personally think that there’s not enough cartoon characters with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Speaking of cartoon characters, I actually based one of my own characters, Xavier J. Clayton off of me. Maybe someday society will learn to accept all different types of people no matter how socially awkward the person is.
First Photo: My character, Xavier J. Clayton
Second Photo: Julia from “Sesame Street”
Third Photo: Carl Gould from “Arthur”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/autism-muppet-sesame-street_us_58cf5f15e4b0be71dcf5b455
his effort helps to raise awareness, promote understanding, and foster empathy for individuals on the autism spectrum. It is wonderful to see such a well-known and influential children’s program taking steps towards representation and inclusivity. Kudos to Sesame Street for their commitment to creating a more inclusive world for all children.