The dolls are altered to include cleft palates, hearing aids and hospital tubes.
!" — except, they're not. As Tawell told TODAY, she uses the British-based elf called"Elves Behavin' Badly," a PMS International company that she says is"very much behind what I do."
"We still live in a world that puts great emphasis on 'being normal,' so if you have a physical/visible difference you are often made to feel abnormal," she toldvia email."To a child, this can really affect their self-confidence and esteem. When they go into a toy shop and see dolls with all 'normal' features it only strengthens the feeling of not belonging, or feeling like the odd one out. I want to change that."One doll at a time, she is.
The motivation for creating these dolls is personal: One of Tawell's daughters, Matilda, 4, is deaf and wears hearing aids. "I became really disheartened when I couldn't find a doll or any toy with hearing aids," she says."It felt to me that society didn't deem her important and therefore she shouldn't be 'acknowledged.'"
After presenting Matilda with the doll, Tawell said she"could tell 'got' what the doll was about because she kept touching the doll's hearing aids and then her own hearing aids."Soon, other mothers Tawell had met at the National Deaf Children's Society were requesting similar dolls, and"it kind of snowballed from there…. It is incredibly empowering for them.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Teen Mom 2's Kailyn Lowry Reveals the Reason Why Doesn't Get Her Kids Christmas Presents - E! Online'Some of you are curious and some of you are really upset about this. Just know my kids are not going without,' Kailyn Lowry told her Instagram followers after explaining her family holiday tradition.
Read more »
Elf On The Shelf Is Another Heaping Helping Of Holiday Mom GuiltThey've got to do tricks and hang every which way (thanks, Pinterest). There are clothes and accessories. Since when did things get so extra?
Read more »
Cardi B Dolls Won't Be Released Due to COVID DelaysThe rapper had partnered up with a fashion doll brand to roll out a limited edition doll.
Read more »
Mindset Matters: Reframing Entrepreneurship And Disability To Shape A New Business CultureThis column further explores the Disability Economy by focusing on the thinking behind entrepreneurship and how the it is being redefined through a disability lens.
Read more »
Cardi B Dolls Will Not Be Released Due to COVID, Quality ConcernsCardi B's limited edition dolls won't be released and she's telling folks to request refunds.
Read more »
Gabrielle Union celebrates daughter Kaavia's surprising milestoneGabrielle Union is mom to three-year-old Kaavia whom she welcomed with husband Dwayne Wade
Read more »