hi my name is Jordan Reeves and I’m 11
years old and I’m from Columbia Missouri
and I was born with the left arm that
stuffs just above the elbow but that
hasn’t stopped me from doing anything
and usually when I meet people I’ll
usually hide my arm behind my back or if
I’m sitting down at a table I’ll hide it
underneath the table and that’s so
people don’t judge me off of my
difference and they judge me off of my
personality and I wish that we could
change that and not have to have me hide
my arm and this talk has a little bit to
do with dolls and I know there’s a
couple of you thinking really I came to
a talk about dolls but trust me it’s
more than just about dolls and to get to
that part I’m gonna tell you some of the
eggs some of the reactions that I get
when people see my arm and some of them
not so great ways are intense staring
where you cannot get the eyes off of the
arm me and my mom were in Boston and we
were eating up like this open table
place so anyone can set at it and a mom
daughter and son sat across from us and
immediately their eyes just attached to
my arm and it got to the point where I
just slipped it into my purse and they
still kept on staring it was super
creepy and then there’s a super scared
person so I’m gonna act this one out oh
my gosh your arm it’s like not doing
right there do you see her arm oh my
gosh and then there’s a super grabby
person where they will just grab your
arm and touch it I mean personal space
and those are some of the ways that I
don’t like so much and then some of the
good ways are when they try to relate to
me oh my gosh my teachers friends
granddaughter she’s missing a finger so
I get you talk to me and then there’s
just the ploy intro when are they just
introduce themselves and ask what
happened to my arm oh of course you
could just be my twin best friends that
I grew up with and one of my thoughts is
what if I could walk on to a playground
let’s say and everyone just see me as
one a crazy kid just playing and I feel
like this has a lot to do with the
talked to that I’m talking about today
and when I was little my mom got me and
my American Girl doll matching outfit
and I was like oh my gosh you guys are
matching how cute I’m like I think I
know what mashing means so if we’re
matching why doesn’t it have an arm like
me and my mom was like oh so last year I
started a petition for American Girl to
offer limb different options in their
dolls and it has 25,000 signatures and
American Girl does know about it and
they said maybe I mean we want it to be
in a yes but it’s still better than a no
and so we do have some companies out
there that are making women different
options and toys like a step ahead
prosthetics where you can send in your
American Girl doll too and they will
make it match your body and American
Girl has a line called truly me where
they have dolls that you can make look
like you so they have let’s say you’re
going through chemo you can get the hair
on your doll off or if you have glasses
you can
glasses rattle or if you broke your leg
you can get crutches and so much more
and I think they should offer limb
different options too and then there’s a
doll like me where this really cool lady
makes homemade dolls to match any
difference
it’s just cool yeah and then there’s a
Vermont Teddy Bear company in Vermont
who knew and they make limb different
teddy bears and I thought there’s a
couple of you thinking why American girl
that’s like such a big company well the
reason why is I don’t really want the
doll just for me to have a limb
different doll that looks like me I want
it so more kids know what what
differences are because my guess is that
most of you didn’t know what a limb
difference was before you came and saw
me and I think that it it would be
really cool if a kid was able to let’s
say walk on into their toy store and saw
limb different toys everywhere and I
feel like this is a really good way for
more kids to get to know the differences
in our society and I’ve been talking a
lot on stages and on the internet to get
my word about out about limb differences
and I go to this really cool camp some
I’ve been going since I was really
little and fundraising for it
it’s called camp no limits and it’s for
kids with limb differences and they get
to go and meet more kids and relate to
them and make friends and get inspired
by the mentors and mentor and trainer II
and I’ve been talking more about this so
more kids get the chance to go to this
camp and this year I got invited to go
on the Rachael Ray Show
and the shark tank crew was also on it
and I got to show what I created and I
created a prosthetic arm that shoots
glitter
so this is compressed air and it shoots
out air through this – and it goes this
thing right here is fiddled with glitter
and so when I press this button right
here it will shoot out and the star
thing is to lock it and unlock it and I
think it’s unlocked hopefully so I’m
gonna show a little example yeah I made
sure not to shoot too much cuz I have to
clean that up and that was a really cool
experience so that I could show that you
can build on to your difference to make
it awesome not like it wasn’t already
awesome and that’s when I sort of
started blowing up on social media
and it’s definitely given me more of a
chance to talk on stages like this and
me and my mom started a non-profit
called born just right for kids with
differences of any sort to build onto
their difference to make whatever they
want because kids know what they want
and most people try to do it for them
but I feel like it’s important that they
do it for themselves and this year we
had an event in Boston and it was only
upper limb oil upper and lower limb
differences but we want to spread to all
differences and I have three tips one is
to be yourself because you being you is
the best you that you can be I know
that’s a lot of use and then to speak up
because what you have to say is really
important and it can change your
community and such an amazing
and to use your differences for good
because your differences are amazing and
you never know what amazing things you
can do with them
thank you
[Applause]
years old and I’m from Columbia Missouri
and I was born with the left arm that
stuffs just above the elbow but that
hasn’t stopped me from doing anything
and usually when I meet people I’ll
usually hide my arm behind my back or if
I’m sitting down at a table I’ll hide it
underneath the table and that’s so
people don’t judge me off of my
difference and they judge me off of my
personality and I wish that we could
change that and not have to have me hide
my arm and this talk has a little bit to
do with dolls and I know there’s a
couple of you thinking really I came to
a talk about dolls but trust me it’s
more than just about dolls and to get to
that part I’m gonna tell you some of the
eggs some of the reactions that I get
when people see my arm and some of them
not so great ways are intense staring
where you cannot get the eyes off of the
arm me and my mom were in Boston and we
were eating up like this open table
place so anyone can set at it and a mom
daughter and son sat across from us and
immediately their eyes just attached to
my arm and it got to the point where I
just slipped it into my purse and they
still kept on staring it was super
creepy and then there’s a super scared
person so I’m gonna act this one out oh
my gosh your arm it’s like not doing
right there do you see her arm oh my
gosh and then there’s a super grabby
person where they will just grab your
arm and touch it I mean personal space
and those are some of the ways that I
don’t like so much and then some of the
good ways are when they try to relate to
me oh my gosh my teachers friends
granddaughter she’s missing a finger so
I get you talk to me and then there’s
just the ploy intro when are they just
introduce themselves and ask what
happened to my arm oh of course you
could just be my twin best friends that
I grew up with and one of my thoughts is
what if I could walk on to a playground
let’s say and everyone just see me as
one a crazy kid just playing and I feel
like this has a lot to do with the
talked to that I’m talking about today
and when I was little my mom got me and
my American Girl doll matching outfit
and I was like oh my gosh you guys are
matching how cute I’m like I think I
know what mashing means so if we’re
matching why doesn’t it have an arm like
me and my mom was like oh so last year I
started a petition for American Girl to
offer limb different options in their
dolls and it has 25,000 signatures and
American Girl does know about it and
they said maybe I mean we want it to be
in a yes but it’s still better than a no
and so we do have some companies out
there that are making women different
options and toys like a step ahead
prosthetics where you can send in your
American Girl doll too and they will
make it match your body and American
Girl has a line called truly me where
they have dolls that you can make look
like you so they have let’s say you’re
going through chemo you can get the hair
on your doll off or if you have glasses
you can
glasses rattle or if you broke your leg
you can get crutches and so much more
and I think they should offer limb
different options too and then there’s a
doll like me where this really cool lady
makes homemade dolls to match any
difference
it’s just cool yeah and then there’s a
Vermont Teddy Bear company in Vermont
who knew and they make limb different
teddy bears and I thought there’s a
couple of you thinking why American girl
that’s like such a big company well the
reason why is I don’t really want the
doll just for me to have a limb
different doll that looks like me I want
it so more kids know what what
differences are because my guess is that
most of you didn’t know what a limb
difference was before you came and saw
me and I think that it it would be
really cool if a kid was able to let’s
say walk on into their toy store and saw
limb different toys everywhere and I
feel like this is a really good way for
more kids to get to know the differences
in our society and I’ve been talking a
lot on stages and on the internet to get
my word about out about limb differences
and I go to this really cool camp some
I’ve been going since I was really
little and fundraising for it
it’s called camp no limits and it’s for
kids with limb differences and they get
to go and meet more kids and relate to
them and make friends and get inspired
by the mentors and mentor and trainer II
and I’ve been talking more about this so
more kids get the chance to go to this
camp and this year I got invited to go
on the Rachael Ray Show
and the shark tank crew was also on it
and I got to show what I created and I
created a prosthetic arm that shoots
glitter
so this is compressed air and it shoots
out air through this – and it goes this
thing right here is fiddled with glitter
and so when I press this button right
here it will shoot out and the star
thing is to lock it and unlock it and I
think it’s unlocked hopefully so I’m
gonna show a little example yeah I made
sure not to shoot too much cuz I have to
clean that up and that was a really cool
experience so that I could show that you
can build on to your difference to make
it awesome not like it wasn’t already
awesome and that’s when I sort of
started blowing up on social media
and it’s definitely given me more of a
chance to talk on stages like this and
me and my mom started a non-profit
called born just right for kids with
differences of any sort to build onto
their difference to make whatever they
want because kids know what they want
and most people try to do it for them
but I feel like it’s important that they
do it for themselves and this year we
had an event in Boston and it was only
upper limb oil upper and lower limb
differences but we want to spread to all
differences and I have three tips one is
to be yourself because you being you is
the best you that you can be I know
that’s a lot of use and then to speak up
because what you have to say is really
important and it can change your
community and such an amazing
and to use your differences for good
because your differences are amazing and
you never know what amazing things you
can do with them
thank you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: