The manufacturer Mattel releases a blind Barbie doll.
A step in the right direction, says Tiina Nummi Södergren, who is first vice-chairman of the National Association of the Visually Impaired.
– I would have liked one like that when I was a child, she says to TV4 Nyheterna.
The new Barbie doll has dark glasses and a white cane.
The blind doll is a way for the manufacturer Mattel to appeal to a larger group, and an attempt to make more people feel included.
There have already been dolls with darker skin, and dolls that sit in wheelchairs.
“More than a doll”
The manufacturer has developed the blind doll together with the American Foundation for the Blind.
Krista Berger is head of doll production:
– We understand that Barbie is more than just a doll. She represents something more and can contribute to a sense of belonging, she says in a statement.
“Fantastic”
Tiina Nummi Södergren is the first vice president of the National Association of the Visually Impaired, and is happy that children with visual impairments will now be able to play with a blind doll.
She herself had wanted to do that as a child.
– I played with Barbie dolls myself when I was a child, but then there weren’t that many options. If I had been able to play with a doll with a white cane, I would not have felt so different in the small town where I was the only child with a visual impairment, she tells TV4 Nyheterna.
– I think it’s fantastic because more children will feel included and so other children might get a chance at what it means to have a white cane and a guide dog.