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40 years; Sesame Street brings inclusion home
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Happy 40th Birthday!
Happy Birthday Sesame Street!
On November 10th, 1969, when Sesame Street hit the television scene, it quite literally blew the doors off children's programming; setting an educational standard that most of us have been affected by. If not us then certainly our children.
And all during those 4 decades, somehow they have managed to keep a fresh voice, stay relevant during the cultural shifts and maintain the element of magic it had from the start.
The show has always been wildly entertaining and has spawned a myriad off-shoots; ie: Remember The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock?
Sesame Street and its thoughtful message of kindness, respect and acceptance has shepherded inclusion of kids with special needs into millions of American living rooms everyday.
Some characters have gone through minor changes, and new ones -- like the fantastically popular Elmo -- have come since the childhood days of today's parents. Yet fundamentally, at its core, "Sesame Street" in many ways still is the same place it's been since the first episode aired.
Today, the producers at Sesame Workshop, and fans all over the world, celebrate as the first episode of the 40th season -- featuring First Lady Michelle Obama demonstrating gardening -- airs, exactly 40 years after the pilot episode.
One hallmark of "Sesame Street" that has consistently remained is its celebration of diversity, says Carol-Lynn Parente, the show's executive producer.
The community has people of all colors and walks of life, and many are children with special-needs, like those with physical challenges and deafness, help kids understand what it's like to have different life experiences and to be empathetic and accepting of other.
"It's one of the things that we're very proud of; diversity has always been important to us," Parente says. "A lot of those abilities have always been reflected on the show, and in a wonderfully inclusive way."
Happy Birthday Sesame Street! The world is a kinder, more colorful place because of you!
More articles Seattle Special Needs Issues Examiner:
The high cost of special needs care
Girl with down's syndrome will make prime time debut in "Glee"
Neurodevelopmental movement training on Bainbridge Island
Sesame Street - Me & My chair (Original)
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