At a workshop space in Solon, volunteers are hard at work soldering and tinkering, transforming toys bought off the shelf into powerful playthings that can be used by everyone. Nonprofit RePlay for Kids adapts and modifies toys for children with disabilities, altering certain buttons and switches to make them accessible.
Twenty-five years in, director of operations Natalie Wardega says the organization has modified about 22,000 toys, which are given to kids free of charge.
“I've had families that for the child's birthday, they'll receive maybe a Tickle Me Elmo, but they can't activate the toy,” Wardega said. “So what will happen is they'll contact me and we'll switch adapt it for them, so then that child can interact with that toy. So it's very rewarding.”
Wardega explained that generally, the children they adapt toys for don’t have the fine motor skills needed to activate the toys, instead needing an external switch. Those switches can come in a variety of forms, including a sip and puff switch which is utilized via mouth, a head tilt switch that people can use by tapping their head against a button, or a proximity switch which is activated by a hand passing over it.
READ MORE: [ Ссылка ]
At 3News, we’re here to share the stories that you say matter most to you. Share your ideas, thoughts, concerns and engage in conversations about the communities in which we all call home.
Follow 3News on Social:
[ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
Visit our site: [ Ссылка ]
And be sure to download our app here: [ Ссылка ]
