That photo of a kid admiring a model in a wheelchair is more important than you think

If you've been on the internet lately you've undoubtedly seen the viral photo of a young boy in a wheelchair at Target. In the photo, the boy is seen starting admirably at a photo display featuring another young boy in a wheelchair.

“He’s never seen a kid in a wheelchair before,” Demi Porter Garza-Pena, the boy’s mom said during a 12 News interview. “So for him to stop and notice that out of the blue was really heartwarming for me.”

Since its posting on Facebook, the viral photo has been received more than 49,000 likes and 34,000 shares. And the picture has brought up an important discussion online.

While many of us see a cute and heartwarming photo, it is so much more. It symbolizes the importance of disability representation in mainstream society.

As the disabled community continues to grow, there continues to be a push and need to get more accurate and frequent portrayals of people with disabilities in media. Everything from movies to television, advertisements to news stories.

In a recent report titled the “Road Map for Inclusion,” we see just how few disabled people are seen in movies and on TV. Along with the stats, the report calls for proportional representation moving forward; meaning 1 in 4 people “both in front of and behind the camera” should be a person with a disability. This proportion would match the 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. who live with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So when you see this boy looking at a picture of someone who looks like him, it's more than just a cute story and I can certainly relate.

As a 36-year-old who is a person with a disability, I still get excited every time I see an ad with a person in a wheelchair or a movie that features a disabled character that is more than just an extra in the background. Not seeing people who look like you makes it very easy to feel invisible and not important to those around you. Seeing ads like the one at Target help shine a light on the growing disabled community and the importance of equal representation in society.

While this story has gone viral and has been viewed across the globe, my hope is that people who see this photo remember the reason for its importance. A kid in a wheelchair was happy to see a kid who looks like him out in public. It brought him a sense of belonging. A sense of acceptance. A sense that it's okay to be different.

Here's hoping that this story will show others with disabilities that you matter and the fight for inclusion is worth fighting for.