Children
& Youth: Internet
Resources on Toys for
Children with Disabilities
by
Jane Vincent
"Knowledge arises neither from objects nor the child, but from interactions between the child and those objects." -- Jean
Piaget
Regardless of their circumstances, all disabled children can benefit
immediately from toys for their therapeutic, educational, and entertainment
values. These toys may be created specifically for the child, adapted from
pre-existing toys, borrowed from a toy library, or purchased with accommodations
already built in. Toys need not be expensive or extravagant to fulfill
their purpose: David Werner, in Nothing About Us Without Us, describes
a game where a child's
goal was to keep a mango leaf balanced on a stick and thereby learn
to walk properly in his new braces. On the other side of the spectrum,
high-tech toys may prepare a child to learn to take advantage of technological
options in her environment.
The following Web pages are broken into three categories: articles about
building or adapting toys, information about public or charitable resources,
and information about commercial sites. All sites are in English unless
otherwise noted. We welcome submission of
information about other relevant sites to be included in future articles;
please Email the addresses of these sites to jane@wid.org.
Building or Adapting Toys
Adapted
Toy Information This site contains a variety of tips for adapting or creating toys
for children with disabilities, or for making the play environment more
accommodating.
http://www.center4creativeplay.org/adapted.htm
Exceptional Parent
1999 Toy Issue A wealth of information on creating, adapting, and selecting toys,
along with references to specific commercially-available toys judged to
be particularly appropriate for individuals with various disabilities.
http://eparent.com/toys/toyreview.htm
Halloween
Costumes This is an article full of creative ideas for incorporating wheelchairs,
respirators, crutches, or canes into fun costumes for Halloween or other
dress-up times. http://backandneck.about.com/library/weekly/aa0925d.htm?terms=halloween
How to Select Battery
Operated Toys and Switches This article, reprinted from the NICHCY News Digest, provides an overview
of factors to be considered when switch-operated battery toys are being
used to help a child make the transition from play to use of computer and
communication technology.
http://www.dreamms.org/may96.htm
PLAY Pen Sponsored by Dragonfly, a Canadian commercial vendor of adapted toys,
PLAY Pen contains a variety of articles on disability and children, including
information on recreational and educational play. Particularly useful are
a series of tips that appear on the left side of the page and that change
each time the page is reloaded or a new page is brought up within the site.
http://www.dragonflytoys.com/
Toys for Kids
with Special Needs This is an on-line newsletter with short articles on providing toy-related
accommodations.
http://www.toydirectory.com/specialneeds.htm
Toys
for Tots with Disabilities Article from BusinessWeek which provides general and specific recommendations
for choosing toys for disabled children, as well as links to some additional
resources.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec1999/nf91215a.htm
Trucos e Ideas
(Tricks and Ideas) Translation of an American site listing various ideas for accommodating
children with disabilities, including "Juegos y diversiones" (games and
diversions)
http://perso.wanadoo.es/ccristia/index2.htm (In Spanish)
Public or Charitable Resources
Community
Toy Library and Special Needs Resource Centre (Australia) "The Maryborough City Council Community Toy Library provides an extensive
range of toys and equipment for loan to all children, including children
with special needs, professionals and groups." The site provides basic
information about the library, including hours and services.
http://www.maryborough.qld.gov.au/toylib1.htm
HAPA _ Promoting
Play for Disabled Children (England) "HAPA was set up to provide play opportunities for disabled children.
All HAPA playgrounds are staffed and designed for children with special
needs. . . . ." The site lists basic descriptive and contact information.
http://www.hants.gov.uk/istcclr/cch33063.html
Japanese
National Council of Toy Libraries "The National Association of Toy Libraries (part of National Volunteer
Center) is working to form a national network of toy libraries and to provide
places to learn from each other and exchange ideas." The site provides
basic information about this Japanese initiative.
http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/ntl/jsrd/z00004/z0000403.htm#97
Kiddies Rehab International "Kiddies Rehab International Foundation [gives] disabled children a
chance to develop." This site, based in Holland, details the projects,
services, and publications of the Foundation, including one publication
on "Making toys with local material." (Ordering information is not yet
provided.)
http://www.kiddiesrehab.org/
National Association of Toy &
Leisure Libraries (England) The site describes the British network of toy lending libraries for
children with and without disabilities and leisure libraries, which provide
"recreational facilities for adults with learning difficulties and their
families." The network also offers several publications for a modest cost.
Links are included to other national library associations in Canada, France,
India, Australia, and Switzerland; only the Swiss site appears to have
particular awareness of the needs of children with disabilities.
http://www.natll.org.uk/
National Lekotek Center (United
States) "The mission of the National Lekotek Center is driven by the philosophy
that children learn best when play is a family-centered activity that includes
all children, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, in family
and community activities." Lekotek centers provide play opportunities,
training for professionals, and information dissemination at several sites
around the United States,
including one in Puerto Rico.
http://www.lekotek.org/
SETI Center
Egypt This center for individuals with cognitive disabilities publishes an
"Index of Low Cost Toys" in Arabic, available for a modest cost.
http://www.redbay.com/newbies/med/library.htm
Special Toys Educational
Postal Service "S.T.E.P.S. is a small UK charity that provides a free service to severely
disabled children by providing a battery operated, adapted toy and a specialized
switch that enables the child to operate the toys by themselves." The one-page
site provides basic information about the organization.
http://www.btinternet.com/~steps.org/
State
Library of Queensland (Australia) Resources for the Disabled This site mentions toy resources available for use in libraries, as
well as contact information for Noah's Ark Resource Centre, which "operates
a toy and equipment lending service for children with disabilities and
special needs."
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/publib/commun/disab.htm
Commercial Sites
Accessible
Playground Equipment This page from "The World Playground, Parks & Recreation Products
and Services Web Directory" site lists a variety of vendors from the United
States or Canada that sell accessible playground equipment.
http://www.playgrounddirectory.com/accessible.htm
Active Play, Inc. A vendor of accessible toys based in the Philippines.
http://www.specialkidstoys.com/
KidAbility "Our mission is to provide all children, with priority attention to
disabled and special kids, readily accessible and affordable resources
and tools to help them attain their maximum level of personal achievement,
and to enjoy the highest quality of life experience possible." This site
is expected to be fully active by July 1, 2000.
http://www.kidability.com/
Toy Catalogue Listing
for Children with Special Needs "To assist with [accommodations] we have compiled a list of toy resources
and toy catalogs that either contain adapted toys or toys whose designs
transfer easily to the play needs of a child with special needs." The site
lists a broad range of vendors accompanied in most cases by comments on
the scope of each vendor's products. All listed vendors are United States-based
except for one based in Canada.
http://www.nas.com/downsyn/toy.html
Note: This article
is reprinted with permission from the Winter 2001 issue of "Advocating
for Disability Rights: A Worldwide Movement" in SCI Life.
