In July 2016, when Meagan Nash came across an open casting call for Carter’s, a children’s clothing company, she immediately submitted photos of her adorable, 15-month-old son, Asher. After watching Asher charm everyone he met, Nash felt fairly confident about her submission.
After several months, however, Nash never heard back from the talent agency, so she reached out, asking if they had received her submission.
“I did get the submission but I did not submit because the criteria did not specify that they were looking for a baby with special needs,” the agency wrote.
Asher was born with Down’s syndrome.
Rather than let the agent’s response deter her, Nash was persistent. “I asked her, ‘Well, did they specify that they were not looking for a baby with special needs?’ And she said, ‘No.’ She said they didn’t specify either way,” Nash recalled.
The agent eventually apologized to Nash and submitted the photos, but by that point, Nash had already made her mind. She knew the treatment her son was receiving wasn’t unique to him; she could only imagine the treatment other children with special needs were receiving.
Nash decided to share her story and experience on Facebook, hoping to generate enough attention and momentum to raise awareness of this issue. She first posted it on her son’s Facebook, Asher’s Down Right Perfect. The story later got picked up by Kids With Down Syndrome and has since been shared by over 125k people.
Thanks to the Internet, Nash’s story was soon seen by OshKosh B’Gosh, the clothing company for which Nash had hoped her son could model.
Company representatives and the Nash family recently met, confirming that Asher would have a spot in the company’s holiday campaign ads.
Nash couldn’t be more thrilled, "It made me feel really good, as his mom, as his advocate. I feel accomplished. I feel like I set out to tell Asher's story, to be heard, for him to be heard. And that is exactly what happened, we were heard. Our message was delivered."
You can watch the original news clip here:
