The preschool Disney Junior favorite, Firebuds is taking on a new topic in show, disability representation. In TWO upcoming episodes, the patrol will meet and welcome two new characters with disabilities.
In the upcoming episodes are: “Cleft Hood” and the other “All That Jazzy”. According to Deadline, in each episode, disability disability representation addressing volunteerism, community service, teamwork, wheelchair use, and cleft palate disorder.
“With one in five individuals living with a disability, it is vitally important that disabled children see themselves represented on screen, and for non-disabled children to see disabled peers being fully involved in community life,” Lauren Appelbaum, SVP Communications and Entertainment & News Media at RespectAbility, said to Deadline in a recent interview.
Appelbaum continued, “Firebuds helps achieve this in so many ways. I particularly love the storyline of Castor, which allows children with a variety of medical conditions who have to miss school for hospital visits and doctor appointments to not feel alone. Having a disability can sometimes feel like a lonely experience, but it’s important for disabled kids to learn they are not alone.”
So what can Firebuds fans expect from these two amazing upcoming episodes? Well, according to Deadline, here is a synopsis of each episode!
“Cleft Hood” introduces a new vehicle character named Castor, who was born with a cleft hood. It was written by Jeremy Shipp, part of the Emmy-winning writing team behind Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, and inspired by his own son, Henry, who was born with a cleft lip and palate.
“All That Jazzy” focuses on Spencer’s character Jazzy, who wants to be the star of a dance performance. After watching a performance starring dancers Ayanna and Gliderbella, Jazzy vows to prove she is ready to be a lead dancer too.
If you remember, when the show first aired, one of our BCKOnline favorite faces, JeCobi Swain announced that he would be joining the patrol. JeCobi is still hard at it, and now, he has added a little bit of his own flair to his character Jayden.
“Cleft Hood” premieres Friday, March 10th, while “All That Jazzy” premieres March 15th. Check out local Disney times and channels to make sure that you don’t miss either one of these episodes!
Photo Credit(s)/Featured Images: IMDb.com; JeCobi Swain; Disney Branded Television
