General Discussion

Playinghardball

(11,665 posts) Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:19 PM Jun 2013

2nd-grade class photo separates boy in wheelchair from his peers

Canadian mom Anne Belanger was heartbroken when she got the second-grade class photo for her son, Miles Ambridge. Miles, who has spinal muscular dystrophy, is seated in his wheelchair, noticeably separated from his peers, who are posed in three rows. Smiling, Miles leans way over in his chair. "Look at the angle that he was in," Belanger said. "He wants to be part of the gang so much." As for the 7-year-old's earnest smile, Miles' dad said, "It makes me feel even worse that he's so happy in the picture. … He's still naive to how other people can treat him." The photo company, Lifetouch, has retaken the photo with Miles seated on the bench.

http://now.msn.com/anne-belanger-mom-angry-that-class-photo-separates-son-in-wheelchair

14 replies

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Highlight:

2nd-grade class photo separates boy in wheelchair from his peers (Original Post) Playinghardball Jun 2013 OP

"The photo company, Lifetouch, has retaken the photo with Miles seated on the bench." End of story. Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #1

Too bad for them, that they did not destroy the first photo BEFORE they retook it SoCalDem Jun 2013 #6

Yep. Now we can obsess like crazy over this ... Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #8

Great, another photography apologist, figures NightWatcher Jun 2013 #14

The class photo took two shots -- now it's right, and nobody had to be sued. Hekate Jun 2013 #10

+1 Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #11

Ugh. That sucks for this kid. Floyd_Gondolli Jun 2013 #2

The little girl on the left in front has her head turned Warpy Jun 2013 #3

Miles can't sit there sweetie, we wouldn't want you to catch his disease. BlueJazz Jun 2013 #7

It really hurts to see that BeyondGeography Jun 2013 #4

School Photographers sharp_stick Jun 2013 #5

I want to hug that mama. Her heart must have broken so much when she saw that. Butterbean Jun 2013 #9

Christ! The faces on the children look like a scene in a Japanese horror film. BlueJazz Jun 2013 #12

Yes, it was stupid, but... femmocrat Jun 2013 #13

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)

1. "The photo company, Lifetouch, has retaken the photo with Miles seated on the bench." End of story.

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:21 PM

Jun 2013

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)

6. Too bad for them, that they did not destroy the first photo BEFORE they retook it

Reply to Buzz Clik (Reply #1)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:30 PM

Jun 2013

School pics are the worst..

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)

8. Yep. Now we can obsess like crazy over this ...

Reply to SoCalDem (Reply #6)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:34 PM

Jun 2013

NightWatcher

(39,343 posts)

14. Great, another photography apologist, figures

Reply to Buzz Clik (Reply #8)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 06:25 PM

Jun 2013

Hekate

(90,708 posts)

10. The class photo took two shots -- now it's right, and nobody had to be sued.

Reply to Buzz Clik (Reply #1)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:41 PM

Jun 2013

A lot of people are on autopilot in this life -- especially busy ones doing one thing after another quickly. Sometimes all it takes is someone pointing out their error, in this case just a request to individualize a something so routine the teacher and photog didn't even think. Mom made them think.

Now, if the kid in the wheelchair had been left out of the picture altogether, that would have been worthy of calling the news.

I'd like to see Photo #2. Kids that age are so cute.

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)

11. +1

Reply to Hekate (Reply #10)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:42 PM

Jun 2013

Floyd_Gondolli

(1,277 posts)

2. Ugh. That sucks for this kid.

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:21 PM

Jun 2013

Heartbreaking.

On edit: Glad the photographer got it right.

Warpy

(111,267 posts)

3. The little girl on the left in front has her head turned

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:21 PM

Jun 2013

like she's asking "Where's Miles? There's room right here!"

BlueJazz

(25,348 posts)

7. Miles can't sit there sweetie, we wouldn't want you to catch his disease.

Reply to Warpy (Reply #3)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:33 PM

Jun 2013

Sorry, just pissed off...

BeyondGeography

(39,374 posts)

4. It really hurts to see that

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:21 PM

Jun 2013

Why can't people just be a little bit nicer, have a little more common sense?

sharp_stick

(14,400 posts)

5. School Photographers

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:28 PM

Jun 2013

are pretty much all useless. It's all about speed to them they don't give a shit about how a picture looks.

Any photographer that actually took a fraction of a second with the class before clicking the shutter and yelling "NEXT" would have either moved the kid in the chair right up in the middle and arranged the whole class around him. That would look good.

At the very least he/she could have said "Everyone move over to the left side of the bench and make Miles a part of the picture.

An apology and retake were at least completed and accepted.

Half of my kids school pics look as bad or worse than the average smoking gun mugshot gallery.

Butterbean

(1,014 posts)

9. I want to hug that mama. Her heart must have broken so much when she saw that.

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:39 PM

Jun 2013

I cannot imagine the sick feeling she must have had when she saw that picture. To see your child excluded BECAUSE of their special need is a whole other kind of hurt that just wounds a mother like no other. I know that pain.

Bless him, I hope he is just happy with the new picture.

BlueJazz

(25,348 posts)

12. Christ! The faces on the children look like a scene in a Japanese horror film.

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:50 PM

Jun 2013

Opening Friday! THE FACE SMEARERS "An entity turns 6th graders into monsters who then eat the school janitor's brain"

femmocrat

(28,394 posts)

13. Yes, it was stupid, but...

Reply to Playinghardball (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 06:23 PM

Jun 2013

Look where the riser ends --- right at the edge of his wheelchair. My guess is that is where the aide parked him and it was as close as she could get him. He probably came in last from another classroom. Maybe the aide isn't allowed to pick him up?

There is always more than meets the eye.

The teacher should have stood next to Miles and moved the other kids to the ends of the riser if that is the closest they could seat him. Or they should have put Miles on the left side. But it looks like the photographer had them all centered on those risers before Miles got there.

We weren't there and it has been corrected. Chill out everyone!

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