Most little kids – boys, girls, whatever – go through a phase when dolls and make-believe play are where it’s at. There are companies all over the world making sure that whatever a person’s skin color, eye color, hair color, hair type, etc, they can find doll that resembles their own face in the mirror.
For kids with disabilities, though, finding that doll that makes them feel 100% seen in the world, and with their friends, can be a tougher ask – and the more rare their condition, the harder it can be to feel like you’re not the only person in the world who’s suffering.
One woman is hoping to change all of that, one handmade doll at a time.
Amy Jandrisevits has been creating dolls that look just like their owners, disabilities and all. She calls her project “A Doll Like Me,” and her unique dolls bring joy to kids who struggle to feel at home in their unique bodies.
She’s been at her project for over a year, and has swept up 43K likes on Facebook – along with happy kiddos all over the world.
Amy is a former social worker who takes special orders from parents who have spent way too many years wishing there was some way to let their child feel included in something as simple as owning a lookalike doll.
She currently has a waiting list of two years, and puts everything she has into every single doll to make sure that it comes out just like her customers imagined.
Amy is a stay-at-home mom, and makes all of the dolls at her dining room table.
This story is proof that we all have the ability to change the world of someone else for the better, and how important it is that kids – all of them – see themselves represented.
Different is awesome, but lip service is not…so walk the walk, like Amy and her sweet little dolls.