LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
In the town of Portishead, England, a small bridal shop made a big statement with their window display.
SARAH PARKER: We didn't feel we were doing anything that was really outside of the norm. But obviously, it is.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Sarah Parker is the co-owner of a boutique called The White Collection. Earlier this month, Sarah and her sister Laura Allen rearranged the mannequins.
PARKER: One side, a model stood in quite a big, traditional wedding dress. And the other window, we have a mannequin sat down in a wheel chair.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: They didn't think it was that big a deal. That's until artist Beth Wilson, who uses a wheelchair, tweeted a photo of the display she wrote. It shouldn't be exciting, but it's the first time I've ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window. Her post got a lot of attention.
PARKER: That's created this absolute frenzy and this outpouring of messages on this debate that this shouldn't be an unusual thing to see in a shop window.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Maria Coehlo called the store to tell them how much it meant to her.
MARIA COEHLO: I thought, good grief. Someone has just normalized that wheelchair, and that normalizes my daughter.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Coehlo's daughter has juvenile arthritis and at 17 began using a wheelchair.
COEHLO: People's perception of her has changed because the mobility aid is what they perceive. They don't see the vibrant, beautiful, intelligent, incredible human being that uses the tool as a way of getting around.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Coehlo hopes that stores everywhere follow suit. In the meantime, shop owner Sarah Parker says a stream of visitors have taken pictures with the display, including at least one little girl who also uses a wheelchair.