Clare Tawell Creates Inclusive Dolls For Kids After She Couldn’t Find Any With Hearing Aids For Her Deaf Daughter

Toys undeniably play a vital role in children’s development, as well as in building their confidence and self-esteem. That’s why it’s important to give them toys that they can associate with. Unfortunately, this remains a challenge, especially for parents with differently-abled children. So, this prompted UK-based mom of two Clare Tawell to establish Bright Ears UK, a nonprofit organization that offers inclusive dolls and accessories.

Having a four-year-old daughter who happens to be deaf was Tawell’s motivation in making these toys and accessories. She started out with making customized hearing aid retainers for her daughter Matilda, after finding “the standard ones to be a little dull.” Not to mention, they also didn’t reflect her daughter’s personality. Later on, she realized the same thing when looking for toys for her daughter.

 

“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.'”

two baby dolls with hearing aids
Bright Ears UK

 

four baby dolls with hearing aids
Bright Ears UK

 

Mom of two Clare Tawell established Bright Ears UK in 2018

baby doll with hearing aid
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with a nasogastric tube
Bright Ears UK

 

It’s a nonprofit organization that offers inclusive toys and accessories

baby doll with central venous line
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with oxygen nasal cannula
Bright Ears UK

 

Tawell’s inspiration for the project is her four-year-old daughter, Matilda, who happens to be deaf

baby doll with partial cleft, hearing aids, and mic-key feeding tube
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with tracheostomy
Bright Ears UK

 

She modifies toys so they look like they have a variety of medical conditions

baby toy figure with cgm sensor and insulin pump
Bright Ears UK

 

baby toy figure with stoma and mic-key feeding tube
Bright Ears UK

 

So, she equips them with different medical accessories, such as hearing aids and feeding tubes

three baby dolls with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding tubes
Bright Ears UK

 

She also offers toys with different skin colors

baby toy figure with insulin pump and cgm sensor
Bright Ears UK

 

baby toy figure with hearing aid
Bright Ears UK

This ultimately inspired Tawell to create inclusive toys and accessories, not just for her daughter but for other differently-abled children as well. Aside from creating hearing aid retainers in fun designs, she also modifies toy babies and portrays them with medical conditions.

 

She also modifies some of their physical features to incorporate birthmarks, a cleft palate and other surgery scars

custom-made baby toy figure with haemangioma
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with heart scar
Bright Ears UK

 

baby toy figures with cleft lips
Bright Ears UK

 

custom-made baby toy figure with cleft
Bright Ears UK

 

baby toy figures with cleft lip
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with right incomplete cleft lip
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll with macrostomia cleft
Bright Ears UK

 

Through her creations, Tawell hopes to promote inclusivity and empower differently-abled children

baby doll with left complete cleft lip
Bright Ears UK

 

baby doll wearing pink headband with left complete cleft lip
Bright Ears UK

She equips them with medical accessories, such as hearing aids, feeding tubes and oxygen nasal cannulas, to name a few. At the same time, she modifies some of their physical features to incorporate a cleft palate and other surgery scars. Through her handmade creations, Tawell hopes to promote inclusivity and empower differently-abled children.

“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. 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.”

 

All her creations are made-to-order, with a lead time of four to five weeks

baby toy figure with incomplete cleft and blue hearing aids
Bright Ears UK

 

baby toy figure with cleft lip repair, macrostomia cleft, and blue hearing aids
Bright Ears UK

 

She also modifies toy figures of famous cartoon characters, including Disney princesses

cinderella and ariel toy figures with hearing aids
Bright Ears UK

 

woody and jessie toy figures with hearing aids and cochlear implants
Bright Ears UK

 

She also offers Christmas elves with varying medical conditions, in time for the holidays

christmas elf toy figures with different medical conditions
Bright Ears UK

 

christmas elf toy figure with a nasogastric tube
Bright Ears UK

All her creations are available for purchase through her website. Since opening her shop in 2018, Tawell has already sold over thousands of sets. In addition to individuals, nurseries and schools are also among her top clientele. Indeed, her creations come in handy in teaching children the concept of inclusivity and empathy.

Source: Bright Ears UK Facebook | Website