Sesame Street brings visability to children with disabilties with Ameera

In the Middle Eastern/North African version of Sesame Street, Ahlan Simsim (Welcome Sesame in Arabic) will introduce Ameera, a ponytailed lime green Muppet who is disabled and uses a wheelchair.  She will be the reflection of the 240 million children living with a disability as well as representing children impacted by displacement and global crises.

Ameera will make her official debut in the upcoming fifth season of Ahlan Simsim that’ll air on April 1st and will kick off the holy month of the Muslim holiday, Ramadan.  Continuing on, Ameera is a bright and inquisitive eight-year-old with a love for science, basketball, and hanging out with her new friends Basma, Jad, young goat Ma’Zooza, and other familiar faces like Elmo and Grover.

Younger audiences will relate to Ameera as they themselves are living with disabilities as well as having inclusion in their day-to-day lifestyles and the importance of STEM learning.

Scott Cameron, the Head of International Production at Sesame Workshop spoke about Ameera’s introduction and her development in an official statement:

"Ameera continues Sesame Workshop’s long history of creating diverse characters that children around the world can relate to, and we are so excited to welcome this exuberant 8-year-old girl to our cast of beloved Sesame Muppets.  Ameera was in development for over two years and was designed with the guidance of inclusion advisors who helped ensure that her identity, movements, and equipment were representational. An instant favorite with our writers for humor and wit, we know that Ameera will inspire young viewers to be curious and confident."

Besides being part of the cast on Ahlan Simsim, Ameera will also be joining her Sesame Street friends in the Sesame Workshop’s newly produced animated shorts, Watch, Play, Learn.  The shorts will provide education on topics such as math, science, problem-solving, emotional conflict, health, and protection through play interaction.  Sesame Workshop created the shorts to pave the way for early education for children who have no access due to crises and be available in 150 countries.

While Ameera’s native language is Arabic, disabled comedian and advocates Ashley Glicken will provide her English voice in the shorts, who share the same experiences as her animated friend.

Ameera is not the only “diversified” Muppet created.  In the past, Sesame Street introduced Julia, a girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Karli, whose mother is recovering from opioid addiction.

You can meet Ameera for yourself in the video below:

What are your takes on Ameera and do you think that she’ll make a great addition to Sesame Street?  Share your thoughts in the comments.