Giving the gift of play
“One of my main goals is to let engineering students know that this is a problem they can solve and maybe take into industry, instead of us having to retrofit these toys for kids with disabilities,” she said. “So that it becomes an everyday, common thing that everyone can use this toy, laptop, fan or whatever it is, that across the board everyone is equal.”
Electronic toys—like those that light up, talk, move and even blow bubbles—can be problematic for children with special needs to operate due to switches or buttons that may be too small or difficult to reach. Adding a jack that acts as a port lets kids plug in their custom switch, including buttons of all sizes, pedals and more, enabling them to easily operate the toy. While commercially adapted toys are available for purchase, they can cost four to five times as much as those bought off the shelf.
West first learned how to adapt toys as a freshman when she attended an Ohio State workshop that was offered as a Green Engineering Scholars’ community service activity. Her passion for the initiative has only increased since she became an intern for the Toy Adaptation Program.
“After the first workshop, I was hooked,” West said. “I went to every workshop held for the next three semesters. I loved being able to apply the engineering skills I learned in the classroom to directly make a positive impact in others' lives.”
Toy adaptation efforts at The Ohio State University have evolved from a series of workshops launched in 2013 into a university program that provides hands-on educational opportunities to engineering students, while making a positive impact on the community. Adaptive toy labs have also been integrated into the first-year engineering scholars and honors curriculum.
More than 870 students have helped adapt toys so far in 2016, explained Green Engineering Scholars Program Manager Liz Riter, one of two coordinators of the program. Thanks to their efforts and those by alumni, industry professionals and other community volunteers, approximately 400 toys have been adapted this year alone.
During the labs and workshops, students learn how to take apart a toy to access the circuitry, determine where to add a parallel circuit and decide where to solder a 3.5 mm female jack in order to make the toy compatible with a multitude of adaptive switches.
“It was like instantly using stuff you learned in the classroom to do something to help people. I really liked that aspect,” said computer science and engineering major Jarrod Manguiat, a Toy Adaptation Program intern.
Once adapted, the toys are donated to the Toy and Technology Library at Ohio State’s Nisonger Center and Katelyn’s Krusade, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children with special developmental and medical needs. Many adapted toys are also donated directly to local families in need, thanks to funding provided by a Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs Endowment grant and an Impact grant from Ohio State’s Office of Outreach and Engagement.
“It is more meaningful and impactful to give the toys directly to families,” said Riter. “Some people with children who need these toys can’t access them in the libraries due to distance or other factors. Donating directly to families is more convenient and less of a burden financially for them.”
For the Buckeye engineers, the biggest reward comes from the joy on the children’s faces when they receive a special toy.
“I was fortunate to deliver toys directly to a family with a child with needs. The only thing she could really move was her neck and her head a little bit, as well as her finger. We chose two toys especially for this little girl, she loved Elmo,” West explained. “We brought out the toys out of the bag and her face just lit up, she was so excited. She knew those toys were just for her and she knew what she had to do.”
Program organizers also offer workshops for community members. During a joint workshop with Nationwide Children’s Hospital on December 3, Ohio State engineering students taught families how to modify a toy just in time for the holidays.
“This program is growing and expanding at a rate we could have never imagined,” said program co-coordinator Rachel Louis Kajfez, assistant professor of engineering education. “Someday, we hope to be able to reach engineering students and families all across the nation through this work.”
Join the fun, be an engineering elf sponsor this holiday season. Support the Toy Adaptation Program at go.osu.edu/toyhelp.
by Candi Clevenger, College of Engineering Communications, clevenger.87@osu.edu
