Case Study: Sesame Street

Overview:
We collaborated with Sesame Street to provide comprehensive training on disability inclusion, universal design and accessible storytelling. This training was designed to equip the Sesame Street team with the knowledge and tools to create more authentic and inclusive content for disabled children and families. We also consulted to ensure the script portrayed Disabled characters in nuanced and authentic ways.

Key Focus Areas:

• Reviewed scripts, advised on character portrayals, and collaborated on puppet adaptations for Disabled puppeteers.
  
• Guiding and supporting casting to ensure Disabled talent were authentically cast.
• Conducting access audits, coordinating set modifications, and ensuring a fully accessible environment for the 
• Provided organization wide disability & accessibility training covering:  
  
  • Historical narratives, the evolution of disability rights, and how language shapes societal attitudes.
  • Understanding the Charity, Medical, and Social Models of Disability, and how these perspectives influence representation.
  • Introducing the principles of Universal Design to ensure equitable access in media, from content creation to platform accessibility.
  • Disability-inclusive language and how to integrate accessibility naturally into storytelling.
    

The Impact:
This session enabled Sesame Street creators to approach disability representation with depth, authenticity, and inclusivity, ensuring that future programming better reflects and serves Disabled children and their families.

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