Kmart expands doll line up to include Guide Dog Handlers

Kmart is updating its toy line-up to include a new doll – a Guide Dog Handler doll, designed with advice from Guide Dogs Australia.

The doll follows the retailer’s previous efforts at creating more inclusive toys, which included a range of dolls reflecting people with disabilities, such as someone who is hearing impaired, someone with Down Syndrome, and someone with a prosthetic leg.

Kmart chief executive John Gualtieri said inclusion and representation are incredibly important, not just for children with disabilities and their families, but for all children.

“It can help form positive self image, it can teach acceptance, and it can help children learn more about people different from themselves,” Gualtieri said.

“We’re proud to be expanding our representation of diversity in store to better reflect our teams and communities.”

As part of the launch, Kmart has donated 1,000 of the dolls to Guide Dogs Australia, which will be distributing them to children with low vision or blindness as part of International Day of People with Disability, which falls on December 3.

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