Kohl’s New Ad Is Another Win for Disability Inclusion

Kohl’s is the newest major retailer to push for inclusion.

Beth Wisniewski, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, submitted a photo of her son Henry, who is 3 and has Down syndrome, to a contact at Kohl’s over the summer. On Wednesday, she looked in the newspaper and saw Henry’s face.

The image for the ad, taken in September at a photo shoot in Milwaukee, shows a smiling Henry in a pair of holiday footie pajamas. People often stop Wisniewski when she’s in public with Henry to compliment her son and remark on his adorableness, she told The Mighty. His charm and outgoing personality make him a natural in front of the camera.

“Henry is a ham, he loves getting his picture taken and he loves performing for people,” Wisniewski told The Mighty.

Wisniewski says both the modeling agency and Kohl’s were fantastic when working with her son. The fact that Henry has Down syndrome was never once brought up and he wasn’t treated any differently because of it.

Wisniewski and Kohl’s were connected through Changing the Face of Beauty, an organization of parents and activists dedicated to calling on advertisers to be more inclusive. Katie Driscoll, the co-founder of the organization, believes this to be the first time Kohl’s has used a person with a disability in its ads.

“I think pretty much every kid is really cute, but I think our kids with extra chromosomes have a little something extra that makes them glow and shine,” Wisniewski told The Mighty, “and we want to share this magical facet of Henry with the world.”

The Mighty reached out to Kohl’s for comment but has yet to hear back.