Project Unicorn helped me speak up about what it is like to have a disability. Some people think “disability” is a bad word, but for me, it has opened the doors to all kinds of new opportunities. I know that hasn’t happened to everyone who is disabled. I also know that when some people see me, they automatically think I don’t have abilities just because I don’t have a hand. I realize my experience is the same as but different from so many other kids with a disability. That’s why I told my mom that I wanted to keep speaking out and to help other kids have experiences like mine.
I just want to fit into a world that usually doesn’t see a lot of pictures and videos of people who look different. When they do share pictures of people who are different, it’s usually because that person happens to be good at something. Usually it’s sports or acting or modeling. I want to live in a world where a person who may not have all of his or her limbs can do things well, and it doesn’t have to be big news. Imagine if a limb-different actor or actress was on a TV show, and it was just a normal thing. Disabilities are everywhere in the world. It doesn’t have to be a big focus every time in the media. People with disabilities can be treated like anyone else if the people who write and put together TV shows and movies just include them instead of making the disability the focus of a character.
Plus, there are other ways to be successful.
I think that’s why my mom is trying so hard to encourage me to do things beyond sports and theater. Sports are a lot of fun, and I know it all makes me stronger. I love performing. But people who are disabled can become so many things. I’m finding ways to show how a limb-different person can get involved in STEAM (which means science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) and design. And who knows what else? The only thing that can stop us is our attitudes. My attitude is to just keep trying!
I kept trying with design after I came up with my first glitter-shooting idea. I didn’t stop after that first camp. I kept learning every day. I couldn’t have done that without the help of my parents and Sam. He would meet with me even on days when I just wanted to eat a snack and go have fun with my friends. All the adults who saw my interest spark after I created my first glitter cannon jumped in and really supported me. I want to help more kids get that opportunity.
Now that I have some design experience, I’m trying to take time to learn so much more. Along with getting the chance to get hands-on experience building my latest helper arm with Mr. David, I am starting to meet other types of designers. I was invited to a fashion innovation studio in New York City to see how a clothing company designs for a season. I met with fashion designers and got to share my thoughts. The grown-ups in the room let me give some different views on a collection of activewear. I never doubted myself when we talked about the clothes. I trust my opinions, and I love sharing my thoughts and ideas. I don’t know if I would have been able to do that before I jumped into Project Unicorn.
Each conversation I have is a chance to change thoughts about disabilities.
Have you ever owned a toy that looked like you? When I was four years old, my mom bought me an American Girl doll and gave me an outfit that matched the doll. She thought we looked really cute together. She mentioned how the doll and I matched, but I was confused. I thought I understood what “matching” meant, but my doll and I didn’t match. She didn’t have one hand like I do. I asked my mom why my doll didn’t look like me, and she told me she hadn’t thought of it that way. I had never seen a doll with a limb difference. I felt like I might never see a toy that matched me.
That experience turned into another big idea, which I hope will help kids understand differences a little better. Dolls are a key to making a change. I talked about this idea during one of my TEDx Talks. I think dolls are an important way for all kids to see disabilities in a different light. My T-shirts were another idea I had to use a simple message to get the word out about physical differences. I am trying really hard to make sure more people see limb differences out in the open so they won’t need to whisper and stare the next time they see a kid who may not have hands or feet. There are so many kids and adults in this world who have disabilities. It shouldn’t be something that’s scary. Kids just need to understand disabilities more when they are little. That’s why I started a petition to ask one of the biggest doll companies to consider offering limb-different dolls.
My petition is on a website called Change.org, and I made a video explaining how I love dolls, but I’ve always wanted to see a doll in toy stores that looks like me. If you have ever walked into an American Girl store, there are a bunch of displays of Truly Me dolls. They are supposed to look like you and me. The dolls come with outfits you can wear to match your doll. American Girl sells a lot of extra things to go with a doll so it can look more like its owner. There are glasses and earrings, crutches, wheelchairs, and even allergy-alert bracelets and insulin pumps.
One of the most obvious differences you will see with some of the American Girl dolls on display is that some of the dolls don’t have hair. Those dolls are available for kids who are going through cancer treatments, which is super important. And they have expanded the line to be inclusive of different skin tones, which is also so important for representation. But none of the dolls sold by American Girl have limb differences. I’d love to have an American Girl doll look like me. But even more, I’d love for all the kids who walk into a store to look at the displays and see how some of the dolls wear a prosthetic leg or don’t have a hand. Toys represent the world that we see every day. Why can’t our dolls match reality? I think a lot of people agree with me, because the petition has more than twenty thousand signatures, and I don’t plan to stop talking about it.
Since I started the petition, I had some opportunities to spread the word about what I think of American Girl dolls. I got to talk to some different journalists and even did a live online show with CBS. A story about my petition got onto the front page of the Kansas City Star! I just don’t stop talking about it. I think that’s why I’ve gotten so many signatures.
Not long after my petition started, a company in New York that makes prostheses started offering a free service to upgrade the dolls for free for any child who has a limb difference. Parents just have to send their dolls to the company, and it is returned wearing prostheses. My parents sent my Truly Me doll to get the upgrade, and it is so cool to finally have an American Girl doll that really does look like me.
About a year later the Vermont Teddy Bear Company made a big step forward for limb-difference toys when it started selling limb-difference options in April 2017. When you click to purchase a bear, you can pick the different type of limb differences. It is amazing to look at the order form online and see options like “left above elbow” (that’s my type of limb difference) and “right below knee.” People can order bears that match their bodies. When the bear arrives in the mail, it actually has smaller arms or legs! My three-pawed bear is really cute and has a sparkle skirt and bow.
American Girl hasn’t made any changes yet, but I believe they are exploring how to make their line more inclusive, and I can’t wait to see what is next.
American Girl is a part of the larger Mattel corporation, and I am very proud that I recently had a chance to work with a different part of the Mattel company. My work around speaking out about the importance of inclusive toys inspired the brand, and they invited me to talk to Barbie designers about limb differences and dolls. The initial doll idea we came up with didn’t happen. But I learned that the design process doesn’t always lead to something you find in toy stores. Not every idea turns into a doll that goes on sale.
But we kept working together, and I helped weigh in on a new doll with a prosthetic leg that is launching in 2019! I had a chance to give my thoughts about the design and look. I met with the Barbie team to share what it’s like to be limb different and how I talk about my experience with disabilities. I am so excited to see stores around the world selling a doll that has a limb difference! It’s my dream to see kids walking by a Barbie shelf and see a physical difference lined up with all the other dolls. I know they are on a journey to continue to evolve, and I know this will continue on to make the doll line more reflective of the world.
This isn’t about me; it’s about all the kids in this world who have physical differences. They deserve to see themselves in our toys. I want more kids to go to stores and see little arms and legs with or without prosthetics on the shelves. Kids with typical bodies will learn about limb differences before they see me or someone like me on a playground or in school for the first time. Maybe they won’t sit down at a public table and stare intensely at a kid who looks different. Toys aren’t just fun—they can educate kids on what we see in this world. Limb differences are real!