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Ryan Langston makes the ideal child model. Cheerful and confident, he shines in the advertisements he appears in for Nordstorm and Target, which have been the subject of much praise in recent weeks. The reason for all the attention? Six-year-old Ryan has Down’s syndrome.

Here at Talent Management we look forward to a time where the use of disabled models will not be such a big story, but the fact that it becoming news isn’t down to those who booked Ryan is certainly a step in the right direction. Ryan’s father recently echoed this sentiment, stating on NBC News: “It’s a big deal because they are not making a big deal about it”.

Blogger Rick Smith – who runs the Noah’s Dad blog also has a son with Down’s syndrome and he is of the same opinion: “This wasn’t a ‘Special Clothing For Special People’ catalog. There wasn’t a call out somewhere on the page proudly proclaiming that “Target’s proud to feature a model with Down syndrome in this week’s ad!”… In other words, they didn’t make a big deal out of it. I like that.”

The decision to book a model with a disablility is nothing new or unusual to either of these companies, both Nordstrom and Target began booking disabled models in the 1990s and have continued to represent children of all abilities in their advertising campaigns. This situation is thankfully becoming far more common as the modelling industry continues to become more inclusive. We can see why Ryan has made it as a model – he is clearly relaxed and happy in front of the camera and looks super-cute in various outfits, including Talent Management’s favourite shot where he can be seen in jeans, a check shirt and a stylish leather jacket.

Rick Smith acknowledged the companies who booked Ryan in a heart warming message to Target on the ‘Noah’s Dad’ site: “As a father of a son born with a disability I want to sincerely thank you. I hope that more companies choose to follow the great example that you guys have set. By choosing to embrace the exciting future and limitless opportunities for people like my son, organizations like yours are leading the way in showing the world that our world isn’t forced to live in the past. Thank you Target. By not saying anything you said a lot.”

Back in December we featured a story about UK model Taya, who also has Down’s syndrome, you can read it here – Beautiful Taya Becomes New Child Model Star.