People who are born differently are often branded as "disabled" and constantly pathologized. However, one girl designed her own prosthetic arm that actually shoots glitter. She's showing the world that nothing limits her or her creativity. She inspires the world to change its narrative around what people who are different can achieve.
Girl Designs A Prosthetic Arm That Shoots Glitter To Turn Disabilities Into Super Abilities
Jordan Reeves got a chance to become a superhero.
At 10-year-old, Reeves lived in from Columbia, Missouri and was invited to the Superhero Cyborgs workshop in San Francisco. Born without a fully developed left arm, Reeves was a great candidate for the workshop, which was organized by the non-profit company Kidmob and Autodesk, a 3-D technology company. They wanted to teach Reeves about all of the power she can posses.
They invited her to attend for free.
The workshop was happy to invite Reeves and her family to attend free of charge. In addition to that, they wanted all of the kids participating to imagine themselves as super-abled. Instead of thinking of a body part as "missing," they can imagine what super awesome powers their 3-D printed limb can have.
Reeves chose to have a glitter gun arm.
Every kid invited to the workshop had limb differences and they were asked to imagine what kind of superpower they'd like their body to have. Some kids made lightsabers hands or water gun hands, but Reeves opted for a dazzling glitter gun hand.
It's really, really cool.
Not only does her 3D-printed hand shoot out glitter, it's also shaped like a unicorn. So, yes, Reeves is the definition of magical and powerful. This experience allowed her imagination to be unbound from limitations and exceed her wildest dreams.
There is still work to be done before her hand is fully operational.
While the prototype was completed during the workshop, Reeves and designer, Sam Hobish, meet regularly via Google Meets to continue developing the logistics of the glitter cannon.
They also want to add elbow and finger motion.
The goal is to push the technological envelop and see just how much they can accomplish, which includes finger motion and flexible elbows, so Reeves can do things like pick items up faster or even shoot hoops quickly. They've called the entire mission Project Unicorn.
Reeves plans to use her power responsibly.
Reeves understands that people are so much more than their bodies, epic glitter hands and all. She loves watching movies, college basketball and learning about animals. Reeves also believes in being a kind person and helping others. These are powers that no one can give others, as they often find them on their own, and Reeves has mastered them.
There are many people volunteering their time to help Reeves.
Without the efforts of her loving community members, the path to developing her glitter gun hand would be continually halted. From prostheticians to software developers and designers, no one hesitates to put in hours and energy when it comes to seeing Reeves' dream become a reality.
Reeves even wrote a book and started a non-profit at the age of 15.
As if she didn't already have enough super powers, Reeves founded the non-profit Born Just Right, dedicated to helping children with differences. Then, she co-wrote a book with her mom, Jen Lee Reeves all about her journey. All of it shines bright like every single speck of glitter.
Let us know what you think of this powerful story in the comments and if Reeves' story inspires you.
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