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Bachaa Party, a children’s toys and clothing retailer, released their festival collection in collaboration with the Child Protection Welfare Bureau Punjab featuring children with disabilities — and we’re absolutely here for it!

The adorable campaign shows a group of children, including a young boy in a wheelchair and another boy with albinism. It rightfully highlights that children with disabilities not only exist but belong with others their age. The company’s approach is excellent as it doesn’t appear to be forced tokenism, rather it looks like a gang of friends hanging out.

Diversity campaigns usually have negative representations or sorrowful portrayals of children with disabilities, who are often shown as people to be pitied. However, Bachaa Party’s ad aims “to spread a message of love, inclusivity, and diversity” and promote “dialogues and necessary conversions to make inclusion the new normal “.

The importance of inclusion cannot be understated. Hundreds of children AND parents walking into Bachaa Party stores or looking at their campaign online will see how normal it is for all kinds of children to be together and in turn, reduce biases against children with disabilities. Furthermore, it could foster empathy and understanding through the celebration of diversity.

Campaigns like the one by Bachaa Party can also boost the self-esteem and confidence of children with disabilities by giving them prominent, visible role models and demonstrating that they too are integral members of the community.

In their Instagram post, Bachaa Party said: “This collection is a testament to our deep commitment to mobilising resources and building partnerships for the well-being of every child in Pakistan”.

Our only note — it would be a great touch to include children with disabilities as models for clothing items on the website.

Challenging stereotypes and misconceptions could encourage social integration by promoting acceptance and friendship, thus breaking down barriers to inclusion.

Representation matters. Children must be able to see people like themselves in the media, as well as the normalcy of having friends and peers of all kinds.