Maria Kentley didn't want her two boys, who have autism, to
grow up feeling different so she decided to design dolls to help children feel
empowered about their disabilities and illnesses.
However, because the disorder has no obvious physical
characteristics, the Melbourne mother-of-four thought the best way to
illustrate this was to up-cycle a Bratz Boyz doll wearing a hoodie with an
awareness message emblazoned across it.
“I repainted his face as a teenage version of my son
Christian and made a black hoodie top for him with the words "I'm Autistic
and Awesome" on it, because my son is awesome and he is autistic,” Ms.
Kentley told Daily Mail Australia.
“Although Christian is only three years old and too young
to read, he is already attached to this doll and knows I made it for him. I
suppose you can say it's his "mini me.”
Just under two months ago, Ms. Kentley's youngest son Ethan
was also diagnosed with autism.
“When we received Ethan's diagnosis, it wasn't as big of a
shock as when Christian was diagnosed because we didn't know as much about it
then as we do now,” she said.
“I want him to be afraid of the word Autism and Autistic.
I want him and Ethan to grow up loving themselves for who
they are and learn to embrace their differences, and know that they are
beautifully and wonderfully created, no matter what.”
Although the autism dolls have proved to be the most
popular, Ms. Kentley will custom make each doll upon request which has included
anything from dolls that are bald or with wigs after undergoing chemotherapy to
wearing prosthetic limbs, in wheelchairs, birthmarks or with Down Syndrome.
To read more on this story, click here: Mother of TwoAutistic Boys Has Created Toys that Celebrate Children with Disabilities
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