“Every child deserves representation”: Arizona mom creates Elf on the Shelf in wheelchair for daughter with disability

A mother from Arizona created a differently-abled Elf on the Shelf doll for her daughter suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This genetic disease affects a person’s motor system.

Samantha Lackey decided to make an Elf on the Shelf doll representing her daughter, Stella. The two-year-old was diagnosed with the disease when she was one month old and has been using a wheelchair for mobility since she was nine months old.

The doll is created to represent her daughter and to boost her self-confidence.

---

Elf on the Shelf in a wheelchair

Elf on the Shelf is a fun Christmas tradition in houses with little kids. So when Samantha decided to get one in November, she made a few tweaks to the doll. She and her husband added a purple wheelchair and pink ankle-foot orthos, similar to the ones little Stella uses.

Stella with her inclusive Elf on the Shelf and other toys (Image via StrongLikeStella/Instagram)

Bean the Elf loves everything Stella loves and participates in the same activities.

Stella loves to climb rock walls as part of her occupational therapy, so Samantha had Bean rock climb on the wall as well. Another day, the child made ramps for Bean to ride on because that’s what she loves to do too.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Samantha revealed that she designed the Elf on the Shelf in a wheelchair to represent everything that Stella did. The doll even used a nasogastric tube (a feeding aid that carries food and medicine to the stomach through the nose) on a baby doll to represent Stella, who needed the tube to aid her when she was little.

She posts all of Beans’ adventures on her Instagram handle, @stronglikestella.

Samantha and her husband have always tried to introduce Stella to inclusive toys and characters. They even got her a differently-abled Barbie, which comes with a wheelchair. Samantha said such toys help boost Stella’s confidence.

---

Representation needed in regards to differently-able people, says Samantha

Lackey revealed that she had received multiple messages from parents of differently-abled children who thanked her for representation. She said in an interview:

“Disabled individuals make up the largest minority group in the world, and a person can become disabled at any time. We need to do better normalizing disability and accommodating accessibility. Starting these conversations young and fostering relationships is essential to making the future more accessible and more inclusive.”

She mentions that more representation is needed with regards to differently-able people. Samantha hopes that her followers will propagate her view and contribute to awareness towards the needs of the differently-abled.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2019, 2.5 million families in America were taking care of a differently-abled child.