If you have a child with a disability and want to get an adapted toy, there are several options:

1. Buy One. There are a few companies that sell already adapted toys. See our list of links here.
2. Visit A Toy Lending Library. Many areas have agencies or school districts that operate toy lending libraries that loan out adapted toys for use. Ask your local agency that provides services to children with disabilities or ask your local school district.
3. Get RePlay for Kids To Help. We work with agencies in Northeast Ohio to adapt mainstream battery-operated toys for the children they serve. If you live in Northeast Ohio, contact the agency you work with, and ask them to contact us.  If you qualify as a low-income family at your supporting agency, you may be able to receive a free adapted toy through our RePlay @Home program.  You could also attend a Family Toy Adaptation Workshop if there is one scheduled with your local agency.
   • If you don’t live in Northeast Ohio, you can try contacting your local agency that provides services to children with disabilities, and see whether they would be willing to pay for shipping the toys to/from RePlay for Kids. If so, have them contact us. For liability reasons, we are unable to provide our services directly to families. Our ability to adapt the toys depends upon the volume of toys we already have to repair or adapt, and the number of volunteers who attend the workshop. It may take a few months for it to get done. There is also a risk that the toy will get damaged during the adaptation process.
4. Do It Yourself. You can adapt the toy yourself, or find someone with technical skills who can adapt it. Tip sheets and tutorials are available on our web site, and we would be happy to answer any questions that arise.

If you work for a nonprofit agency in Northeast Ohio that provides services to children with disabilities, you can contact RePlay for Kids about our free services:

Toy Repair:

RePlay for Kids volunteers provide the following free repair services:

• Repair battery-powered toys designed for children with disabilities
• Repair external switches that children use to operate the toys
• Repair other battery-powered assistive devices, such as communication aids and educational devices.

Toy Adaptation:

RePlay for Kids volunteers provide the following free adaptation services:

• Adapt mainstream, battery-powered toys with external switches so that children with disabilities can use them.
• Repair previously adapted, battery-powered toys.

If you are interested in these services, we can make arrangements for picking up and dropping off the toys or devices. These items will be tagged and added to the inventory of items we bring to our workshops. Depending on the frequency of our workshops, the volume of existing items to be repaired or adapted, and the number of volunteers attending, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to get the items returned. While we are generally successful in repairing and adapting toys/devices (over 85% have been returned to agencies in working order), we can not guarantee that items will not be damaged. All items are inspected prior to being returned to an agency.

If your agency is not in Northeast Ohio, and are willing to pay for shipping the toys to/from RePlay for Kids, contact us and we’ll see if we can fit you in (items from Northeast Ohio agencies will have a higher priority). We could also give you guidance on finding a local resource to repair or adapt toys. A local engineering school or technical college might be a good source for volunteers willing to do this. Tutorials and tip sheets can be downloaded from our site.