Outrage At Scottish School After School Photographer Erases Children With Complex Needs
After their children took their class photos at Aboyne Primary School, located approximately 30 miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland, parents were shocked to be offered two variants: one with all the members of the class and one without children with complex needs.
Aberdeenshire Council said the decision was not made by the school, and the link to the photos was immediately removed, the BBC reports.
- A photographer offered parents two class photo options: with and without children with disabilities.
- A mother expressed disgust over her daughter with autism being "erased" from one of the photos.
- Four children in total were removed from the class photo, according to the mother.
Natalie Pinnell, the mother of one of the children erased from the alternative photo, publicly denounced the incident in a Facebook post.
“This week, a photography company erased my child from a school class photo. Why? Was she not aesthetically pleasing enough?” the mother wrote on Wednesday (March 27).
A school photographer offered parents the option to choose between two class photos: one with the whole group and another that excluded students with disabilities
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
Pinnell continued by sharing her reaction to the incident: “To say I am disgusted, devastated and absolutely heartbroken is an understatement. My daughter is AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL! Shame on anyone who believes that the erasure of ANY human being is in any way ok.”
She added: “The school were amazing. They were absolutely appalled.”
Pinnell shared that her eldest daughter was diagnosed with autism in 2017.
According to the World Health Organization, about 1 in 100 children has autism.
The term encompasses a diverse spectrum of conditions related to the development of the brain, which can manifest in some degree of difficulty with social interaction, focus on details, or unusual reactions to sensations.
Natalie Pinnell said her eldest daughter, who was diagnosed with autism in 2017, was erased from the class photo
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
“To say I am disgusted, devastated, and absolutely heartbroken is an understatement,” the mother wrote on Facebook
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
In the comments of the post, the mother wrote that she hopes that the “awful experience” will shed light on the issue of discrimination against children with developmental disabilities.
She also wrote that three other children were erased from the class photo.
Tempest Photography, one of the biggest school photography firms, informed that it had spoken to the photographer involved and the school and that it’s now investigating the matter.
Aberdeenshire Council reacted to the situation with a public statement, deeming the photographer’s actions “unacceptable” and apologizing to the parents.
Aberdeenshire Council apologized to parents for the “unacceptable” incident
Image credits: Aboyne Primary
“Why? Was she not aesthetically pleasing enough?” Pinnell asked after her daughter was excluded
Image credits: Natalie Pinnell
The Aberdeenshire Council wrote: “We are aware that following Aboyne Primary School’s recent school class photographs, links to purchase the pictures included images with and without complex needs provision pupils.
“Whilst this was not a decision taken by the school, we absolutely appreciate the distress and hurt this has caused some parents and carers, and we are sincerely sorry.
“The issue has been taken up with the photography company directly, as this is totally unacceptable.”
The council added: “Aboyne is an inclusive school, and every single child should be included, engaged, and involved in their learning and school experiences.”
People called out the photographer
The children were not "erased" from the picture. While they were waiting for the children with additional needs to arrive, a picture was taken of the rest of the class who were there. As it was a part of the pictures taken on the day, the link was provided to the parents, along with the link to the photo taken after all the children arrived. I don't know why they did not just wait till all the kids had arrived before starting to take pictures, but it clearly was not an intentional action to have the option of excluding those children. The photographer and school have apologized for any hurt caused, explained and said they will learn from it.
This looks like an honest mistake, not an act of willful discrimination. The photographer didn't know they were missing kids so they took a shot. More kids showed up and they took another one. They then gave parents links to all the pictures they took. If little Mabel's eyes were closed in picture 2, they might want picture 1 with her eyes open since its their daughter.
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I have autism, therefore this makes me a bit mad. Why would a photographer do this? It’s like they’re making the poor girl an “unperson”, just like the book 1984.
I would honestly be surprised if this wasn't a directive to the photographer from a teacher or someone at the school that the administration wasn't aware of and not an arbitrary decision by the photographer. How would the photographer even be able to tell an autistic person unless they were severely disabled? Most people with autism have no difference in appearance. I think they're throwing the photographer under the bus.
It was the photographer who did it, definitely not directed by the school. "the school was not aware of the decision to take two sets of photos and investigated immediately once it was alerted by parents." https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/29/aberdeenshire-pupils-with-complex-needs-erased-from-school-photo
Load More Replies... The children were not "erased" from the picture. While they were waiting for the children with additional needs to arrive, a picture was taken of the rest of the class who were there. As it was a part of the pictures taken on the day, the link was provided to the parents, along with the link to the photo taken after all the children arrived. I don't know why they did not just wait till all the kids had arrived before starting to take pictures, but it clearly was not an intentional action to have the option of excluding those children. The photographer and school have apologized for any hurt caused, explained and said they will learn from it.
This looks like an honest mistake, not an act of willful discrimination. The photographer didn't know they were missing kids so they took a shot. More kids showed up and they took another one. They then gave parents links to all the pictures they took. If little Mabel's eyes were closed in picture 2, they might want picture 1 with her eyes open since its their daughter.
Load More Replies... I have autism, therefore this makes me a bit mad. Why would a photographer do this? It’s like they’re making the poor girl an “unperson”, just like the book 1984.
I would honestly be surprised if this wasn't a directive to the photographer from a teacher or someone at the school that the administration wasn't aware of and not an arbitrary decision by the photographer. How would the photographer even be able to tell an autistic person unless they were severely disabled? Most people with autism have no difference in appearance. I think they're throwing the photographer under the bus.
It was the photographer who did it, definitely not directed by the school. "the school was not aware of the decision to take two sets of photos and investigated immediately once it was alerted by parents." https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/29/aberdeenshire-pupils-with-complex-needs-erased-from-school-photo
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