RePlay for Kids' Workshops
RePlay for Kids host workshops in which volunteers are shown how to adapt mainstream, battery-powered toys with external switches so that children with disabilities can use them. These adapted toys are then provided, for free, to agencies that work with kids with disabilities.
Our Workshops
RePlay for Kids hosts a variety of toy adapting and repair workshops that increase the availability of toys and assistive devices for children with disabilities. These workshops also educate our participants about the needs of the disabled community, while also teaching some basic electronics skills.
Toy Adapting Workshops
RePlay for Kids host workshops in which volunteers are shown how to adapt mainstream, battery-powered toys with external switches so that children with disabilities can use them. These adapted toys are then provided, for free, to agencies that work with kids with disabilities.
In these workshops, volunteers adapt mainstream, battery-operated toys by placing a switch cable in parallel with the original switch, allowing the toy to be operated by a variety of alternative switches that could be plugged into the cable.
We host an annual Adapted Toy Giveaway, where families and agency representatives select free adapted toys that are appropriate for their children or the children they serve. To see photos and more information from our past Adapted Toy Giveaways, just click here.
We also partner with local agencies in our RePlay @Home program, where we gie away adapted toys to low-income families of children with disabilities.
Toy Repair Workshops
RePlay for Kids volunteers provide the following free repair services to agencies that work with kids with disabilities:
- 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.
In these workshops, volunteers come and repair as many toys, switches and assistive devices as possible in a 2 hour period. Workshop activities often involve simple repairs such as a broken wire or corroded battery terminal. Repaired items are checked for safe operation prior to being returned to the agencies.
RePlay Ride-On Workshops
The RePlay Ride-On program follows in the footsteps of the University of Delaware’s Go Baby Go program, in which ride-on cars (like Power Wheels) are adapted for children with disabilities so that the foot pedal is replaced with a more accessible option. An example is a large plate switch on top of the steering wheel that the child can push to make the car go. These adaptations also involve installing safety supports like a seatbelt, trunk support and any needed side rails. These cars allow the child to experience independent movement, which has been shown to increase cognitive skills and improves socialization.
In Northeast Ohio, we assist with the Go Baby Go program at Cleveland State University in Cuyahoga County. RePlay for Kids’ provides some of the volunteers and technical expertise for this program, and are also involved in designing electronic and mechanical additions to increase the safety and expand the capability of these cars. We have also modified ride-on cars at some of our toy adaptation workshops in Medina and Summit Counties, and have held “RePlay Ride-On” workshops in Lorain and Mahoning Counties.
Family Toy Adapting Workshops
In our Family Toy Adapting Workshops, RePlay for Kids teaches families of children with disabilities how to adapt a toy. The family member is then given a toolkit with the necessary tools, parts and instructions to allow them to continue adapting toys at home. We work with local agencies to coordinate the workshops with the families that they serve.
STEM School Toy Adapting Workshops
In our S.T.E.M.(Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Toy Adaptation Workshops, RePlay for Kids teaches high school students how to adapt a toy. In the process, the students learn about basic electronics, problem solving, and the needs of children with disabilities. We work with local high school teachers to coordinate the workshops during the student’s class time. RePlay for Kids brings the toys, tools, parts, and instructions to guide the students through this process. If you are interested in having a S.T.E.M. Toy Adaptation Workshop at your school, please contact us.
RePlay @Home
The adapted toys that we provide to agencies are used in therapy sessions as a fun way to encourage a child to make a particular movement, or to teach cause-and-effect relationships. While we are pleased with the feedback we’ve received from therapists at the agencies we service, we know that there is a limited amount of time that a child spends in therapy. The benefits from the activities that a child does during therapy would be increased if that child could practice the activity at home too. While there are a few types of adapted toys that are commercially-available, they tend to be very expensive, and many families cannot afford to purchase them. One way that RePlay for Kids can help, is to work with agencies to identify low income families whose child could benefit from playing with an adapted toy at home, and give them one of the toys that was adapted at our workshops. In 2011, we initiated the “RePlay @Home” program, in which we set aside some of our adapted toys for low-income families. If you are with one of our partner agencies and would like to receive some adapted toys for your low-income clients, please contact us. If you are a family member and are interested in receiving some adapted toys, please contact an agency that provides services to the child with a disability (school district, county board of developmental disabilities, etc.) and have them contact us.
The skills learned by playing with these toys have catapulted our students into academic skills that were previously thought unattainable.” – Therapists from Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities
A Special Thanks to Our Corporate Sponsors
A Special Thanks to Our Supporting Foundations
