Generation Next: Jordan Reeves

As a top-five finalist for Time's 2020 Kid of the Year, fifteen-year-old Jordan Reeves has captured the hearts of many with Project Unicorn, a 3D-printed prosthetic that shoots biodegradable glitter. Designed by Reeves herself while still in elementary school, Project Unicorn challenges perceptions about disability by showing that the only limitation is one's imagination and, whether for fun or function, anyone can invent.

Project Unicorn's creative design, along with Reeves's infectious positivity, first took over the internet in 2016, giving her and her mother, Jen Lee Reeves, the momentum to launch their nonprofit organization Born Just Right. Through interactive, STEM-based workshops, Born Just Right empowers children with disabilities to find creative solutions for everyday life by teaching them how to brainstorm, prototype, and build their own inventions. Even during a global pandemic, both women have stuck to their mission, establishing a virtual camp with pre-recorded lessons, starter kits, and, of course, Zoom meetings. Along with expanding their online reach, the camp is now open to all kids in order to teach the importance of accessibility, even for those who do not need it themselves.

As her organization continues to grow, Reeves is reflective on how far she's come as an activist, giggling at old Instagram photos that showcase her journey since Project Unicorn. "I feel like I've grown more confident," she says. "I don't have that young, jump-off-a-building-and-land-a-triple-backflip confidence, but I feel like I've gotten better at talking. I'm always working on telling my story."

In 2019, Reeves and her mother published a book together, also titled Born Just Right, that chronicles her experiences as a young girl living with a limb difference. Accessible for all ages, her target audience was middle-school students because she noticed that the age group lacked resources about disability or difference, a topic then mostly reserved for children’s books. Reeves wanted to break that trend.

This sentiment ties directly into Reeves's "wild dream" of having "representation to the point of normality," which she is already making huge strides towards achieving. Alongside her book, she has consulted with Mattel to create the first prosthetic-wearing Barbie and starred on Disney+'s Marvel's Hero Project, which highlights young, real-life heroes making a difference in their communities. "People might come across me first and be surprised, but there are so many kids doing stuff like me and not like me," she says. "They're just working to make the world a better place, and I think that’s pretty cool."

Although Reeves is proud of Project Unicorn and the opportunities it has brought her, her true happiness comes from the pleasure it inspired across her entire community and beyond. Discussions around disability are often met with pity, but the most important lesson Reeves imparts is that accessibility is all about creative innovation and sparkling joy.

Read this story and many more in print by ordering our inaugural issue here. See the full Generation Next series here.