Mom creates inclusive ‘Elf on the Shelf’ to help daughter feel represented

• Stella, 2, has a genetic disease that impedes her motor function, so she has to use a wheelchair and ankle-foot orthoses.
• Her mom Samantha makes sure that Stella always feels included and represented in the shows she watches and the toys she plays with.
• Samantha recently made an inclusive Elf on the Shelf who also has a wheelchair and ankle-foot orthoses like Stella.

After seeing how much a Barbie on a wheelchair boosted her daughter’s confidence, mom Samantha Lackey created a special Elf on the Shelf who also uses a wheelchair.

Stella Lackey was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that impedes her motor function.

When she got her first wheelchair at nine months old, she referred to it as “wheels wheels.” Now two years old, she still has to wear ankle-foot orthoses and use a wheelchair to move around.

Samantha shared that when she and her husband gave Stella her first Barbie doll, they got her one with a wheelchair.

After seeing the doll boost Stella’s confidence, Samantha has since made sure Stella would see herself represented in the shows she sees, the books she reads, and the toys she plays with.

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A post shared by The Lackey Fam (@stronglikestella)

For the holiday season, Samantha modified an “Elf on the Shelf” to have a purple wheelchair and pink ankle-foot orthoses, just like Stella.

She then shared Bean the Elf’s various activities on social media throughout the month of December.

We can see Bean doing the activities that Stella does, such as rock climbing at occupational therapy. One picture showed Bean helping a girl use a nasogastric tube, which delivers food and medicine to the stomach through the nose. But since it’s the holidays, Bean’s special tube delivers hot chocolate.

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A post shared by The Lackey Fam (@stronglikestella)

Samantha told Good Morning America, “I don’t think she even second guesses that the elf is in a wheelchair because that’s just what she’s so used to. For me to be able to mirror this little elf with her personality, I think she truly appreciates it.”

Samantha said that she was initially worried about how she could relate to her child. “I don’t have a disability, I unfortunately never had relationships with disabled people growing up,” she explained.

“So to see her truly appreciate how much representation can mean, it was a no-brainer,” she added.

You can see more of Samantha’s creations and Stella’s progress on Instagram.

Source: Tank’s Good News