A mother creates inclusive dolls and accessories so that children with disabilities could have a toy that they could identify with.
Clare Tawell, 39, is a medical radiation technologist by profession. A couple of years ago, she set up a home-based, non-profit Bright Ears U.K, which she runs just by herself. She modifies dolls and adds some handmade medical accessories to turn them into toys with varying medical conditions. She has been selling these dolls through Etsy and Facebook, but she doesn't profit from them as the prices are just enough to the costs of the materials.
This holiday season, dolls and elves with insulin pumps, hearing aids, and cleft palates, and much more will be coming to inspire kids with disabilities and make them feel they "belong." Tawell told TODAY that our world emphasizes 'being normal' which leaves people with a physical or visible difference feel abnormal.
She hopes to change this, especially for the children whose confidence and self-esteem are affected whenever they shop for toys and see dolls having all 'normal' features.
Her dolls are used not just as a personal toy, but she also said that even schools and nurseries used them to teach children about inclusivity. Hopefully, she said that these children would grow up to be adults who would look beyond a person's appearance.
Making these special dolls and handmade accessories are not just a hobby, but she is actually doing something close to her heart. Speaking to BBC, she said she is not doing it to make money but fulfills a need that is not being met. Her 4-year-old daughter, Matilda, was diagnosed with severe bilateral hearing loss when she was just six weeks old. Being born deaf in both ears, she had to wear hearing aids.
Tawell tried to buy a doll for Matilda that came with a hearing aid but was disheartened to find nothing with such a feature. She said that it felt like society is telling her daughter she is not important enough to be recognized, so she decided to create the doll herself.
Speaking to WalesOnline, she didn't get it right the first time. It took her three attempts to turn a ready-made doll into something to represent Matilda, complete with a matching glittery pink hearing aid. Her daughter loved it. Tawell said that Matilda pointed to the doll's hearing aid and then her own, recognizing quickly that it looks like her.
And then, a couple of mothers she met through the National Deaf Children's Society took notice and asked her to make one for them. Then as word of mouth spreads the news, she has started receiving requests from other people as well. In 2018, she set up an Esty store, which has now sold hundreds of dolls worldwide.
She said that she used to be angry at the world for making her daughter deaf. However, making the dolls helped her heal and taught her to be more accepting of their life.
