Giving Compass' Take:

· Sesame Street has expanded upon its cast by adding Julia, the first muppet with autism spectrum disorder. According to Global Citizen, viewers get to meet her family and take a look at the challenges they face and how they deal with them.

· How does this addition impact children with autism who watch the show? How has Sesame Street promoted diversity and inclusion in the past? 

· Here's what philanthropists can learn from Sesame Street.

This past April, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, the nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop provided educational resources for families touched by the condition.

In 2017, Sesame Street introduced Julia, the first muppet with autism spectrum disorder –– a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Now, viewers get to meet her family, showing how they deal with many of the same challenges anyone else’s does. Julia’s mom is an art teacher, and her dad is a saxophone player, the company announced recently. She also has a protective older brother and a dog.

"Children with autism often face unique challenges, as do their parents and siblings,” Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, said in a statement to Global Citizen. “But every family faces challenges of some sort, which is why we are focusing on what all families have in common. In a family, everyone has different roles, challenges, and strengths, and everyone can learn from one another."

Read the full article about Sesame Street's representation of autism by Leah Rodriguez at Global Citizen.