Parents of wheelchair-bound second grader Miles Ambridge finally have something to rejoice about. Legions of hearts sank upon seeing the school photo that showed Miles set off to the side of his classmates. It was a shot so disjointed, you might have imagined seeing thirty years ago but sadly not in this century. Much like this other recent, much publicized disability faux pas.
Following complaints from the boy's parents, the school set up a retake and according to his mom, Anne Belanger, the 'do-over' is as it should be: "gorgeous," showing her son perfectly assimilated with his peers.
“I couldn’t comprehend how the photographer could look through the lens and think that [the original picture] was good composition. ... [T]his just boggled the mind,” said Belanger. “Being picked on and being set aside is horrendous and this was what was happening."
According to an article in the Huffington Post, seven-year-old Miles has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic condition which weakens his muscles and requires the boy to use a wheelchair.
Although some feel he should not have been taken out of his chair for the new photo, his parents applauded the second effort. Fortunately his parents had the sense and sensitivity not to show their son the original photograph, so he is also blithely unaware of the controversy it sparked.
“Oh, mommy! This is so nice," he said of the new and revised photo. And the world is as it should be.
What do you think of the new photo?
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