I'm seeing more and more toy companies create politically correct dolls and accessories for a wide range of disabilities. It started out with tiny glasses for dolls, which are super adorable and snazzy, then grew to wheelchairs, crutches and now hearing aids and service dogs.
Today I saw a plush hearing aid for Teddy Bears, how cute is that? If you're interested in getting one or two, they are available from Build a Bear workshop:
http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/store/Plush-Hearing-Aid-/productId=prod81549American girl provides a service where they can customize dolls to be fitted with hearing aids:
http://www.americangirl.com/shop/dolls/doll-hospital?searchterm=hearingAidKeyWords_Endeca&searchresults=notApplicable&search_type_attr29=redirectI think it's fantastic that more people, namely toy companies, are finally catching on how important it is to include children with disabilities. Even though it took a long time for them to do this, at least we are discovering new ways to create a more caring and compassionate generation. I'm thrilled that someone took the initiative to make the choice to produce more accessible dolls. It's about damn time.
When I was a kid, my mother would take my old hearing aids and sew them on to my dolls since she couldn't find anything in the stores. I can remember seeing it and thinking how much that meant to me, to finally have a toy that was designed for me.