Mattel Introduces Its First Blind Barbie to Further Inclusivity in Dolls: 'Great for Our Community' (Exclusive)

Eric Bridges, CEO of American Foundation for the Blind, tells PEOPLE that the new Barbie "can help get blindness out into society in a way that is accurate and attention-getting"

Barbie is expanding its world yet again.

On July 22, two new Barbies are being brought to life at Mattel: a blind Barbie and a Black Barbie with Down syndrome. Both of these dolls join the Fashionista line and help Mattel further its message of inclusivity within the Barbie world.

Eric Bridges, the CEO and president of the American Foundation for the Blind, tells PEOPLE that every part of this doll — from her look to how she's packaged — was thought out with a blind child in mind.

"A lot of thoughtful consideration went into this by Mattel and also by [the AFB] providing the feedback that we were able to get to this point today," he says of the process of creating the doll.

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The result is a Barbie who wears vibrant clothes, which make them a little easier to for children with low vision, Bridges says. The clothes are also made with Velcro to be more accessible for children who are blind and have low vision. The doll also has a white cane with bendable arms so she can use it, and even her eye gaze is different from other Barbies.

"In certain circumstances, blind people tend to look up and out, so the eye gaze was considered as well," Bridges says.

Even down to the packaging, blind children were considered. That meant including braille on the box and making sure that it would be easy enough to get Barbie out to play with.

Bridges, who praises the 103-year-old AFB for the incredible work it's done over the years, says this is just another amazing project that helps educate the public about blindness and also give little girls a doll who is just like them.

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"There's been so much historical misrepresentation of people who are blind in the media," Bridges shares. And the neat aspect of this is that there's a cultural phenomenon to Barbie that everybody knows. This has an added credibility and the ability to help educate other little girls that may not be blind. And for those girls that are blind or have low vision, they get to hopefully see themselves in this doll."

What Bridges also loves about this "hip and happenin'" doll is that she brings a cool factor. "Blind people are not thought of by society as fashionable or understanding fashion or knowing fashion and here this Barbie is part of the fashionista line," he says. "We're three-dimensional people and we're not all heroes or victims or magical mystical people. We're people. The more that projects like this can help get blindness out into society in a way that is accurate and attention-getting, it's great for our community."

Related: When Was the First Black Barbie Made? All About the Doll's History

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Alongside the new blind Barbie comes a Black Barbie with Down syndrome, joining the white Barbie with Down syndrome who is already part of the Fashionista line and was released last year. This doll, created in partnership with the National Down Syndrome Society, represents young Black girls and was designed to reflect their looks.

Barbie's face is created with a rounder shape and her body has a shorter frame and longer torso, all physical attributes of people with Down syndrome. Even her palms are designed with a line on the palm, which you'll usually see on those with Down syndrome.

Every detail down to Barbie's dress was considered. Her dress is blue and yellow, the colors of Down syndrome awareness, and the three arrows in some of the hearts on the dress' pattern symbolize the third 21st chromosome that individuals with Down syndrome have.

"NDSS is thrilled to introduce a second Barbie doll with Down syndrome. Having this doll launched alongside the new Barbie doll with blindness marks another important step in expanding representation for the disability community,” said Kandi Pickard, president and CEO of NDSS in a press release. “We are proud to partner with Barbie as they grow to reflect our diverse and beautiful world."

Both dolls are available now for $10.99.

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