Adaptive toy workshop



Cloverleaf teachers and parents of special needs students had a unique opportunity to learn how to adapt toys so they can be enjoyed by children of all abilities.

On Oct. 6, Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities hosted a workshop led by RePlay for Kids of Medina and made possible by a grant from Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund. The small switches on toys can make it difficult for children with disabilities to play with them. RePlay for Kids is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that specializes in teaching others how to take everyday toys and install external switches that make them easier to operate.

“There aren’t a lot of resources like this for kids with special needs,” said Cathy Posner, president of the Women’s Endowment Fund.

Teachers, parents, local high school students and others gathered at the Medina County Achievement Center around tables filled with new remote-control cars and trains, Buzz Lightyears, plastic dinosaurs, talking stuffed frogs and more. Among the toys were screwdrivers, wire clippers and hot soldering irons. Participants learned how to open up the toys and solder wires into place that bypass small switches. The wires were then connected to a universal jack that could be plugged into a large push-button or other style switch that works best for a specific need.

For any child who picks up a toy, there’s more going on than simply playing and having fun. Pushing a button and then seeing, hearing or feeling a toy perform an action teaches cause and effect. Toys also bolster communications skills. Too often, children with disabilities are left out.

“Adapted toys provide the venue for Differently Abled Students to have fun while being active participants in learning,” said Margo Costello, director of special services for Cloverleaf Schools. “Students with physical, cognitive and other developmental disabilities are able to experience pride in being able to independently activate the toys.”

Last year, RePlay gave away more than 1,000 adapted toys, thanks to the generosity of sponsors like the Women’s Endowment Fund. To learn more about RePlay for Kids, please visit www.replayforkids.org.

Top photo: Cloverleaf Schools intervention specialist Amy Serafinchon uses a soldering iron to install a switch to make a toy easier to operate for children with developmental disabilities.

Photo below: Cloverleaf Schools speech and language pathologist Kristin Reedy (left) joins a parent in trying out some the adapted toys on display at the workshop.

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