Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn’t Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

It’s very natural to want to play with toys that remind us of ourselves. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many dolls available for differently-abled children who have medical conditions and look different than others. 39-year-old British mother of two, Clare Tawell, decided to solve the issue and created the nonprofit organization Bright Ears UK which she uses to modify baby dolls to match children with medical conditions.

Clare’s biggest inspiration was her 4-year-old daughter Matilda who is deaf. “I became really disheartened when I couldn’t find a doll or any toy with hearing aids. It felt to me that society didn’t deem her important and therefore she shouldn’t be ‘acknowledged,’” she told Today.

The medical radiation technologist works on the dolls during her spare time and her goal is for every child with disabilities to play with toys that are just like them. She hopes to empower children and promote inclusiveness with her handmade dolls and accessories.

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Clare Tawell founded Bright Ears UK and now modifies dolls to make them look like children with various medical conditions

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Clare has sold over 2k dolls since starting her toy-altering mission in 2017. She hopes that, in the future, children with medical conditions will be able to go into any shop and see dolls with cleft lips or hearing aids next to regular dolls. That way, kids will feel normal and won’t feel different from others.

The founder of Bright Ears UK has had her hands full of new orders recently and some of her products are temporarily sold out. So if you’ve spotted something that you desperately want, you’ll need to have a bit of patience. Clare also does custom requests whenever she has the time.

According to Clare, we live in a world that puts a lot of emphasis on ‘being normal’ and anyone that looks different from the norm might feel ‘abnormal.’ That can affect kids’ confidence in themselves and their self-esteem and create further problems down the line.

It’s not just individuals who buy Clare’s dolls. Schools and nurseries have also purchased them and use them when they talk about inclusiveness and learning not to judge people by how they look.

Incomplete Cleft & Blue hearing aids

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Partial cleft, purple hearing aids & mic-key feeding tube

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Left incomplete cleft lip

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Right incomplete cleft lip

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Left incomplete cleft lip

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Custom cleft

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Cleft lip doll

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Cleft lip repair, macrostomia cleft & blue hearing aids

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Insulin Pump & CGM Sensor

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Insulin Pump & CGM Sensor

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Haemanhioma (Strawberry Mark) Custom made

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Stoma & Mic-Key Feeding Tube

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Oxygen Nasal Cannula

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Macrostomia cleft

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Central Venous Line

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Tracheostomy

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Heart scar doll

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

PEG feeding tube dolls

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Woody & Jessie Hearing Aids & Cochlear Implants

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Princess hearing aid doll

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Christmas Elves with various medical conditions

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

Dolls with hearing aids

Mom Starts Making Inclusive Dolls After She Couldn't Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Image credits: Bright Ears UK

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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What do you think ?

POST

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

I;m gonna get a down vote but i think this is nice for younger kids who have no care in the world this makes them have a connection with their favorite doll i have a daughter with down syndrome which then affected her hearing personally i think she would love these dolls

62points

Nicole Tomme 4 years ago

Nothing in your comment warrants a downvote.

37points

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Lea S. 4 years ago

I'm so confused...what did you think worthy of a downvote? What you said was the WHOLE POINT of the article.

23points

Newt but not Thomas 2 years ago

I got one of these dolls for my deaf/mute best friend, and he immediately burst into tears. I originally thought it was because the doll was deaf, but he later informed me that he'd never gotten a present before.

0points

rabbitsrabbit 4 years ago

I don't know how useful this is... these dolls look like they are for really young kids who may not be that sensitive to their physical differences (yet). Having really different looking toys might bring them unneccessary attention. Let kids have toys, no need to make everything into a social mission.

32points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

Yes your right it might even make the kid more comfordent as if a african americian girl or boy would feel more comfindent with a doll in their enthicity

5points

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Viviane 4 years ago

There's criticism of these dolls that bring up some points to ponder. I'm wondering if anyone with a visible disability would have wanted a doll that reflects their appearance.

8points

ChickyChicky 4 years ago

Then they won't buy these dolls. And the kids who do want them will buy them.

12points

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F.S 4 years ago

i had a (now fixed) visible disability when i was very little and was bullied bc of it. I would've hated a doll that reflects on that. The hearing aid dolls are better imo because it shows the "after", a solution and it's positive. A cleft, i'm afraid, is not. But that's just me.

6points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

not really its for kids not grown adults little kids would love playing with these dolls and because their use to their selfs they will think the dolls are normal

0points

Meeow 4 years ago

These dolls are cute, it would mean so much to the kids, just wish that they have more black dolls.

6points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

They do

1point

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Emily S 4 years ago

I love this because as a kid i always felt different from everyone else for having hemangioma and this makes me feel so much better about the future and how people think of this . Thank you so much for making the future better . I love these dolls.

5points

Phil Potts 4 years ago

I can completely get behind the sentiments with this, a great idea but Barbie tried this with a recent range of dolls. We ordered from an assortment and got a Barbie with a skin condition and a Barbie that had a 'fuller figure' - Despite my protests, my daughter simply would not play with them. She was scared of the one with a skin condition and didn't like the other one because none of the dresses fit.

4points

Sarcasm101 4 years ago

It’s bc it’s Barbie and she’s perfect Ppl can’t and won’t handle something that they’re used to. Reasons why I hate Barbie dolls smh

0points

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Stereo Panda 4 years ago

Phil Potts -

0points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

because it was a barbie which arent really pro in this department but the maker of this doll is when going onto esty they have a range of dolls

-1point

your_lesbian_friend 4 years ago

Such a neat idea! It must be so nice for those kids to have a doll just like them. Sweet <3

2points

schopenowski 4 years ago

your_lesbian_friend what

1point

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Suki-Chan 4 years ago

This mom is so nice, I can just imagine a kid looking at these and saying "she/he looks just like me!"

2points

Caroline 4 years ago

But to me, that's the problem. I didn't want a doll that looked like me when I was younger. I wanted them to be pretty, I wanted to be proud of them and show them off.

1point

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Sent From The Slytherin House 4 years ago

This was so sweet! I liked the strawberry one, my baby sister has a strawberry on her shoulder. I call her Boo Boo Chicken. (Not because of the strawberry but because it's a cute nickname)

2points

ravager 4 years ago

im deaf too well not fully deaf i was born 14 weeks early (I wear hearing aids)

1point

Keryl Cryer 4 years ago

I know that American Girl dolls have the option for hearing aids and even alopecia now. Good that other companies are doing the same.

1point

Sasy 4 years ago

I think that the main greatness in this is that a child will feel less alone, if there is a doll like them then there must be many others out there like them also...it can also be something for siblings to be less fearful of, understand more and have greater empathy for their siblings.

1point

James Pointer 3 years ago

"I became really disheartened" These were made to make the mum feel better, not the child. The cleft lips also confuses me slightly, don't doctors fix all cleft lips? So wouldn't the child just want repaired cleft lips with their scars and not the open cleft, they likely wont even remember all the surgery and problems with their mouth by the time they can understand "hey this doll has the same appearance I once had". Wouldn't that also be disheartening for them, to know no matter how much they pretend doctor they can't actually fix the dolls mouth like the doctors did to them.

0points

Janine Hunt-Jackson 4 years ago

At first, I was a bit startled, but I think this is a fantastic idea! Especially as I see a few Black/brown dolls. Hopefully, she'll expand the range of ethnicities.

0points

Steve Cruz 4 years ago

These would be wonderful for all children, to help those without medical conditions understand and gain comfort with those who look different than what they commonly see.

0points

rgr8 4 years ago

Also, while they are expensive, American Girl makes dolls with things such as hearing aids, insulin kits, and who don't have hair. Except it is American Girl, which is rather expensive.

0points

Vivien Bone 4 years ago

Yeah I agreed with your comments. With the hearing aid is something that could actually help kid to "ajust" but with lip and other tubes.... I'm not on it at all. Very disturbing.

-1point

Kim 4 years ago

Yeah let’s celebrate the things that make kids and families suffer. This is ridiculous.

-3points

Maria 4 years ago

It's not celebrating, just acknowledging.

1point

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Aliquid A 3 years ago

are the only options in your world to celebrate something or to deride it? How about accepting life and coming to terms with it? How about a child feeling that they are not alone. -- who are you to judge what other people to do to cope with the challenges of life?

0points

Sarcasm101 4 years ago

It’s acknowledging to ppl bc they re so used to stupid Barbie stereotypes. Ppl should be proud

0points

Tor Rolf Strøm 4 years ago

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COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

its not about that and please dont we so harsh its just about when kids see dolls that dont look like them it can make them feel worst and then question why their different i feel like its meant for younger kids who might not see their selfs as different

7points

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COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

Also i don't see a problem with being different and you must teach kids at a young age to love theirselfs and their differences and these dolls start that a kid with a hearing aid should be proud and happy with their life dont sheild that away and when kids ask them about their hearing aid they were never taught this and sheilded from how different they are which can harm them even more

3points

Britta B 4 years ago

For them, this is normal.

1point

Mark Saunderson 4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Viviane 4 years ago

There are reborn dolls, which look very much like newborn babies. Some are owned by parents who have lost infants. Are you uncomfortable with visible disabilities in people or just representations of them?

4points

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POST

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

62points

Nicole Tomme 4 years ago

Nothing in your comment warrants a downvote.

37points

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Lea S. 4 years ago

I'm so confused...what did you think worthy of a downvote? What you said was the WHOLE POINT of the article.

23points

Newt but not Thomas 2 years ago

0points

rabbitsrabbit 4 years ago

32points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

Yes your right it might even make the kid more comfordent as if a african americian girl or boy would feel more comfindent with a doll in their enthicity

5points

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Viviane 4 years ago

There's criticism of these dolls that bring up some points to ponder. I'm wondering if anyone with a visible disability would have wanted a doll that reflects their appearance.

8points

ChickyChicky 4 years ago

Then they won't buy these dolls. And the kids who do want them will buy them.

12points

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F.S 4 years ago

6points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

not really its for kids not grown adults little kids would love playing with these dolls and because their use to their selfs they will think the dolls are normal

0points

Meeow 4 years ago

These dolls are cute, it would mean so much to the kids, just wish that they have more black dolls.

6points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago

They do

1point

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Emily S 4 years ago

5points

Phil Potts 4 years ago

4points

Sarcasm101 4 years ago

It’s bc it’s Barbie and she’s perfect Ppl can’t and won’t handle something that they’re used to. Reasons why I hate Barbie dolls smh

0points

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Stereo Panda 4 years ago

Phil Potts -

0points

COcO BAMa 4 years ago (edited)

because it was a barbie which arent really pro in this department but the maker of this doll is when going onto esty they have a range of dolls

-1point

your_lesbian_friend 4 years ago

Such a neat idea! It must be so nice for those kids to have a doll just like them. Sweet <3

2points

schopenowski 4 years ago

your_lesbian_friend what

1point

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Suki-Chan 4 years ago

This mom is so nice, I can just imagine a kid looking at these and saying "she/he looks just like me!"

2points

Caroline 4 years ago

But to me, that's the problem. I didn't want a doll that looked like me when I was younger. I wanted them to be pretty, I wanted to be proud of them and show them off.

1point

Load More Replies...

Sent From The Slytherin House 4 years ago

This was so sweet! I liked the strawberry one, my baby sister has a strawberry on her shoulder. I call her Boo Boo Chicken. (Not because of the strawberry but because it's a cute nickname)

2points

ravager 4 years ago

im deaf too well not fully deaf i was born 14 weeks early (I wear hearing aids)

1point

Keryl Cryer 4 years ago

I know that American Girl dolls have the option for hearing aids and even alopecia now. Good that other companies are doing the same.

1point

Sasy 4 years ago

1point

James Pointer 3 years ago

0points

Janine Hunt-Jackson 4 years ago

At first, I was a bit startled, but I think this is a fantastic idea! Especially as I see a few Black/brown dolls. Hopefully, she'll expand the range of ethnicities.

0points

Steve Cruz 4 years ago

These would be wonderful for all children, to help those without medical conditions understand and gain comfort with those who look different than what they commonly see.

0points

rgr8 4 years ago

Also, while they are expensive, American Girl makes dolls with things such as hearing aids, insulin kits, and who don't have hair. Except it is American Girl, which is rather expensive.

0points

Vivien Bone 4 years ago

Yeah I agreed with your comments. With the hearing aid is something that could actually help kid to "ajust" but with lip and other tubes.... I'm not on it at all. Very disturbing.

-1point