Toys made in China, such as these dolls sold at a store in the US capital, will likely see a price hike due to increased tariffs
Toys made in China, such as these dolls sold at a store in the US capital, will likely see a price hike due to increased tariffs AFP / Alastair Pike

A preschool and kindergarten teacher in Watsonville, California, who works with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, did something that is heartwarming. Genesis Politron, the thoughtful teacher, designed glittery hearing aids on dolls for the students to represent her deaf students.

While Politron was shopping toys for her students, she realized there was a lack of toys that children hard-of-hearing could relate to and so, she crafted some on her own. Working her creative bent of mind and using a lot of glitters, Politron added hearing aids and cochlear implants to the baby dolls that were meant to be distributed in her school, CNN reported.

"I thought of all of the times that I played with my own dolls as a little girl, and how I'd always reach for the doll that I identified most with. I wanted my students to have the same opportunity, and to be represented in the toys that they play with," Politron told CNN. "No child should ever feel as if they aren't 'normal' or as if they don't belong. I wanted to allow my students to see themselves in toys for once, to feel accepted," she added.

Politron chose fabric paints over colored glues to paint the dolls citing the former had more endurance. At first, she used different glues for the implants, but they rubbed off onto the little hands as they played with them.

Politron, intending to spread awareness among her friends, posted photos of the dolls on Twitter where she only had 115 followers, she told CNN. But, the post became popular overnight garnering more than 30,000 retweets and 150,000 likes.

"I'm glad that so many people have realized the lack of inclusion when it comes to toys. I hope those that it has reached take the initiative to learn some sign language," Poliron said in view of the post’s reach. She also said, "Children's minds are extremely malleable, and I believe it's our jobs as adults to mold them into empowered, confident, and most importantly happy little people as best as we can."

RELATED STORIES
Twitter