14 year-old Jordan Reeves is a Strong Girl. She enjoys sports, playing with friends, and spending time with her family. She is also an activist, designer, innovator, and author. She has presented two TED talks, wrote a book with her mom, pitched an innovative design to Shark Tank, and is a role model to many of her peers. And she has done it all with one hand.

Jordan was born with a left arm that stopped growing above her elbow. Before she was born, her family didn’t know anything about limb differences, but the story goes that when she arrived into this world, her father said she was “born just right” because she was born exactly the way she was meant to and because she is “just right-handed”. The phrase stuck.

Jordan rose to fame in 2016 when she designed a prosthetic arm that shoots biodegradable glitter for her alter ego, Glitter Girl. The internet loved her invention, which she named Project Unicorn, and her story took off. She appeared on the Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, and had the opportunity to show off her invention at Maker Faire events and more.

Around this time, Jordan began advocating for more limb difference representation in toys, specifically in American Girls dolls. At a young age, Jordan was very comfortable speaking to large groups about her journey and why representation is important. Mattel heard her story and called her in to assist in creating a Barbie doll with a prosthetic leg.

“I’ve always been really public about everything, and I’ve grown up to be confident about myself,”

 

Jordan’s voice has grown, and in 2017, Jordan and her mom co-founded Born Just Right, a nonprofit foundation that brings together families and children with limb differences and similar challenges. The organization teaches kids how to use design and STEM tools to find solutions to their unique challenges, just as Jordan did with Project Unicorn.

Building on the success of their foundation, Jordan and her mom co-wrote a book about their journey, also titled Born Just Right.

 

Now in high school, Jordan continues to use her voice and her mind to solve problems and raise awareness for limb differences. She hopes someday to be a designer and has created a group called Make Just Right, which consults with companies when they need input on more inclusive designs.

One thing Jordan wishes more people knew about disabilities: staring hurts.

“I feel like the hardest part about having a disability is judgment,” she said. “You really just want to blend in at some times. At some points, you just want to stand out and I get that. But when you do stand out, the stares can really hurt sometimes. I know, personally, I’d like to be seen as my personality and not by my disability because I think I have a good personality.”

Jordan is an incredible Strong Girl! To read more #StrongGirlSaturday stories, visit the Skyland Blog and check back every week for more girl power inspiration.