Born Just Right Read online

  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!

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  WE’RE ALL DIFFERENT

  My normal is not your normal. We all have different thoughts and different experiences. Some are more obvious than others. While some people will want to use your difference as something that is bad, I think it’s what makes you awesome. The trick is not letting other people try to change you just because you’re different. Be proud of it!

  I have a lot of friends who are “typical.” But guess what? They all feel different. That’s the strange thing about being a kid. I think I’m lucky to look different because I can’t pretend I’m not different. Instead, I’ve learned to have fun with it. Yes, there are days when I’d rather not stand out in a crowd. But most days, I’m proud to be me. I think you can be proud too, especially if there are issues or topics that you really enjoy. You can use those things to help you speak up and maybe even help others.

  HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

  Name Something That Makes You Different:

  Activities You Love:

  People/Places/Things That Matter to You:

  Organizations You Have Joined:

  Organizations You Want to Join:

  Take a look at all your answers and ask yourself some questions, like “Do the organizations I have joined relate to the people/places/things that matter to me?”

  Think about the times when you felt different. Is there a way you can use your activities or interests to help others understand why your difference is great?

  Are there groups that help you connect with your difference? (You might be able to learn from others who understand!)

  You can reach out to an adult in your life to help make these connections. My mom and dad made sure I got to meet other people with disabilities, and they made sure I could attend camps and other activities so I wouldn’t feel alone.

  Think about the answers you got from the quiz. Are you extra creative because of your difference? Maybe it helps you be braver. I think my difference taught me how to meet a ton of people who inspire my work to help change perceptions. What does the quiz say about you, and how can you use it to change the world for the better?

  YOU CAN HELP TOO

  If you go to school with someone with a disability, you can get to know that person. Introduce yourself. You will probably discover that he or she is a really cool human. Having a difference can make you pretty sarcastic and funny. I think I’m pretty funny, but I know I’m super sarcastic.

  ADVICE FROM JORDAN

  Dear Jordan: How do I start a conversation with someone who has a disability? I don’t want to seem rude!

  A: I really think it’s important to say hello. Do not ask the person what is “wrong” with them. Just introduce yourself. Let that person know you were interested in knowing them and wanted to say hi. You will quickly find out if this person is interested in talking or not. Most of the time, if I meet someone who is curious and respectful, I’ll tell them about my little arm.

  Dear Jordan: If someone looks different, it’s really hard not to stare. Should I look away?

  A: I really, really don’t like staring. But I also really don’t like people who avoid me because they seem scared about my difference. Instead of looking away, look that person in the eye and say hello. Then it’s okay to keep moving. It’s not cool to stop and watch that person. Treat them like a regular person because they are a regular person. Accept that that person looks different and move on. Not everyone looks like you. That’s the real world.

  Dear Jordan: What can I do to help people with disabilities if I don’t have one?

  A: Don’t feel sorry for people with disabilities. If you hear someone making fun of a person or feeling sad about a person’s way of life because she is disabled, speak up. Let them know a disability is not sad. It might be hard. That person might need a lot of help to live. But all people deserve to be treated with kindness. All people deserve to be treated like you would like to be treated: with respect. People do not “suffer from” a disability. They live with a disability. A person who uses a wheelchair is not “wheelchair-bound.” A wheelchair is freedom. They are a wheelchair user. Shift how you think about disability, and let your friends and family know when you hear conversations that go against your new knowledge.

  Dear Jordan: What are other ways I can support the disability community?

  A: If you are making decisions, don’t forget to include people with disabilities. That might be hard if you don’t know someone with a disability. Find the groups in your town that support disability. Ask those organizations if there are health support groups or clubs where people with disabilities hang out and work together. Search Twitter and see if there are people with disabilities in your area sharing input online. Social media helps connect people with disabilities who might have a hard time leaving the house. It also helps people with similar differences find one another so they can learn and share together.

  HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THE WORLD?

  I believe I can change the world, and you can too! Do you have a perspective or difference that others may not understand? Here are steps I think you can take to move from having a big idea to getting more people to talk about it.

  SPEAK UP AND DON’T STOP

  I can’t hide my difference. So why not talk about it? Most of the time, I’d rather talk about my difference than pretend it’s not there. When I see someone super confused about my difference, I like to offer information. If someone is being rude about my difference, I usually let it slide, or I have a friend around to help me out. Having a glitter superpower helped me talk about limb differences more than usual. A purple unicorn horn that shoots sparkles is even more unusual than a little arm.

  SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN AS MANY WAYS AS YOU CAN

  I’m lucky my mom had a blog when I started speaking up about disabilities. She was able to share the fun I was having. When I started getting the chance to speak to journalists, I was excited to share how the combination of disability and design leads to really fun things.

  TEAM UP WITH OTHERS TO GET THE WORD OUT

  Some of the kids who have gotten to know Born Just Right, which you’ll learn more about in the next chapter, are now helping raise money for the organization. They’re sharing infor
mation about our nonprofit and talking about how it can be fun being different. Even adults, with and without disabilities, have volunteered to share information at expo tables or pass out brochures at events.

  BE YOURSELF!

  You are the only you that is out there in this world. Just trusting your thoughts and sharing them can make a difference. It’s really that simple. You might help one person, and you might help a million. It doesn’t really matter as long as you’re helping.

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  BORN JUST RIGHT FOUNDATION

  My superhero experience continues to spread across the country and around the world. I’ve seen articles online about my invention in all kinds of different languages. I’ve even had invites to speak in other countries. All these opportunities came out of a chance to enjoy the body I have with pride. I don’t plan on Project Unicorn being the only thing I invent. I feel like I’m just getting started. Now that I’ve learned how strong I feel by solving my own design needs, I want to help other kids do the same. Thanks to my experiences, my mom and I launched a new nonprofit organization and named it after the online community we’ve grown through the years—Born Just Right. It is a site that started out as a blog my mom used to tell my story. We started meetups when I traveled and grew a community on Facebook. When my Project Unicorn work got bigger, I told my mom I wanted to try to use the awesome and positive feedback we were receiving to help our message reach as many people as possible. And Born Just Right has helped us do just that.

  My hope is to use Born Just Right to help more kids use disability as a way to learn their strengths. Each one of us has different challenges and ideas. What if we all learned how to take our differences to create something exciting instead of thinking our differences are something bad? Born Just Right is teaming up with other organizations to create more design lessons for kids with disabilities. I hope we can work with companies that want to hear different views on what works with their products. If Born Just Right can help a whole bunch of kids discover their inner designer, then those kids can work with all kinds of different businesses or groups. We would be able to talk about anything! We could help car designers build different designs. Maybe we could help clothing lines add extra-stretchy clothes or designs that are comfortable in a new way. From medical tools to clothing to fun toys, I think kids like me have views that no one else has considered.

  While we grow the nonprofit, my mom and I are trying to continue to talk and teach about how disabilities are not a sad thing. Disabilities are a part of everyone’s world. We are a group of people who should not be ignored. Instead of looking at disabilities as a bad thing, let’s find ways to use them to our advantage. I know having a disability changes how I see the world, and I am a better person for that view. By speaking up, I use that view to hopefully change thoughts on limb differences and disabilities. Maybe I helped change views on prosthetics. When you build an “arm,” it doesn’t have to look real. It can be anything. It can be a unicorn horn that shoots sparkles, or it can be an arm that helps you play the violin. People who don’t have a hand don’t need a “hand.” We need helpful and fun tools.

  GROWING BORN JUST RIGHT

  One quiet summer day in Boston, a group of kids gathered in an open conference room of a shared working space. It was the first time our nonprofit worked on a daylong design event for kids with limb differences. We had kids with upper and lower differences join us for a day of fun and creativity. I was so excited to put together a new event for kids!

  I got to join the kids in brainstorming and coming up with new ideas to turn themselves into superheroes. In the meantime, my mom gathered all the parents in a separate room to talk about how they can all support kids in STEAM and design.

  The kids in our group had so many fun ideas. We spent the morning brainstorming and the afternoon building out concepts. I came up with a new way to surprise people with glitter—a prosthetic arm that throws balls that explode with glitter when they land. (It’s really messy.) One girl developed LED lights for her helper legs. Another built a Wonder Woman shield for her little arm. There was a marshmallow shooter, a pool-noodle battle arm, a helpful arm table, a hands-free book holder, and a useful tool for one girl to do her metal artwork. We all presented our designs to the parents. It was awesome to see so many great ideas in such a short time.

  We put together longer events for kids since then, and we’ve given our workshop a new name: BOOST by Born Just Right. Some of the workshop participants continue to work on improving their prototypes with design buddies. I am so excited to see what new ideas come next.

  Along with setting up awesome events for kids, my mom and I had a chance to speak and share about Born Just Right with all kinds of really cool organizations. We’ve spoken at the national AIGA Design Conference (a professional organization for design), the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (a massive film, interactive media, and music festival), and even the United State of Women Summit. We are just getting started!

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  DESIGN YOUR DREAMS

  I’m surrounded by so many family members, friends, and teachers who support me. It’s given me the freedom to explore and try all kinds of life experiences that may not happen for everyone in their lifetimes. That’s probably why so many people ask me about what I want to do when I grow up. I usually just say that I know I want to go to college.

  I don’t think I’m ready to commit to a specific career, but I’m starting to get an idea of what I really enjoy and what can make an impact in this world. I know I want to keep using design for good. I got to meet members of MIT’s Little Devices Lab, and I’ve learned how tinkering with small things can create big changes in the medical industry. The lab is creating makerspaces in hospitals for nurses and doctors to create solutions to tiny problems. They also invent low-tech tools to help people in third-world countries. I’ve even seen simple ideas that can help save thousands and thousands of dollars in hospitals.

  I had a chance to meet designers of products and clothing. I have learned that thinking about disability or “inclusive design” isn’t always a part of the design process. Many industries are just starting to change that. I would love to use my input for good in so many different parts of design.

  I love the chance to help teach other kids and adults about design. In the last couple of years, I got to speak to adults at a lot of events to help them learn how to let kids lead their own design ideas. I want kids with disabilities to have a say in the products they need and the ones that would just make their lives more fun. I don’t think there’s a degree in college that is about changing perspectives, but maybe I can create one! What I know is that we are all different, and our differences can help us all make a better world with design or whatever topic or issue that excites us.

  LAUNCHING YOUR OWN DREAMS

  I keep mentioning all the talks I’m giving to adults. Why do I have to just talk to adults? I want to share some of my lessons with YOU. Maybe it can help change the way you think about disability, or just about the power we all have as kids. I know a lot of you have great ideas, and you shouldn’t be afraid to act on them!

  YOUR IDEAS MATTER

  If you have a good idea, don’t bury it. See if you have an adult in your life who can help you take that idea and make it bigger. If that isn’t possible, write down your idea, draw it, or do whatever you can not to forget. And do your best to make that idea come true. Maybe it’s just talking about it to your friends. And when you get more comfortable, share it with other people you know—maybe a teacher you trust. If you think you can make a difference, you can! I have the chance to talk to adults, and I keep telling them to listen to kids! We have really great ideas.

  TAKE TIME TO BE CREATIVE

  Thinking up ideas and creating things takes time. You have to give yourself a little time each week to step away from technology and draw or write down thoughts.

  FAILURE ALWAYS HAPPENS

  Keep working and don’t give up. If you believe in your ideas,
you will find a solution. Some of my best prototypes came out of previous models that weren’t working right, and it gave us the tools to learn what wasn’t working. If you create something without failure, you probably need to keep working on it to make it better.

  I have my moments of doubt. Don’t we all? But I think having moments of failure helps remind me to move past that doubt. I know I can keep going. How can I learn anything without making mistakes? Give yourself a break and keep learning. Growing ideas takes time. I don’t know if I will ever be totally happy with the Project Unicorn design. Sam and I have worked on it for more than two years! Your best idea may not happen immediately. It may not even happen while you’re a kid. If you are confident in solving a problem, just keep trying.

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  My life experiences have combined into a magical adventure. All the glitter and excitement came from believing in myself and having an amazing group of people in my life who believe in me too.

  What’s next? I am going to keep speaking about disabilities and design. I hope my work will make sure more businesses think about inclusive design and bring in people with disabilities to share their thoughts and ideas. I hope more kids with disabilities can get a chance to learn how to talk about their design needs and make those ideas come to life. I am not the only person with a disability trying to change what typical people understand when they see someone with a different body or different abilities. One day, I would like to see a person judged for his or her knowledge and not from a snap decision just because that person has a different-looking body.