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Now that we have had our first snowfall of the season, I am finally in the holiday spirit. If you have been slow in doing your holiday shopping, you may be roaming the isles of toy and discount stores, still wondering what to buy the child with disabilities on your list. My first inclination is to tell you to buy what's on the child's wish list, without thought to whether the toy is accessible. Children with disabilities do not choose toys because they are accessible: They want what looks like fun. They want what other kids want! As a child with cerebral palsy, if I received something that was difficult for me to use, my Dad usually came up with a way to adapt it. But some toy required such precise fine motor skills that they were almost impossible for me to play with, unless my friends helped. Barbies presented the biggest challenge. I could move Barbie around the Penthouse without much trouble, but getting her ready for a date with Ken -- sheathing on her skin tight dress, brushing her hair with that miniscule brush, and slipping her feet into those tiny pumps--IMPOSSIBLE! So, the question is, should we buy toys that children with disabilities ask for, although they may not be able to play with them independently? The answer for me is YES. One of the most important skills for living successfully with a disability is to learn to think creatively and modify a largely inaccessible world. Children with disabilities will never learn these skills if they only receive toys that are already accessible. Furthermore, always giving "special" toys promotes the notion that individuals with disabilities are different from others, not worthy of participating in mainstream society. Despite my unstable balance, I had roller skates and a skateboard. Although I never used them quite like my friends, I was happy to skate while holding onto furniture or the short wall surrounding the rink and to propel my skateboard on our patio with one knee on and one knee pushing along. I would have missed a great deal of fun if my parents had reasoned; "She can barely walk. She has no business with skates or a skateboard!" Why not mix toys that the child can easily manipulate with ones that might take more creativity to adapt? Several web sites offer tips for adapting toys for children with disabilities. Heidi Ann Baron and Suzanne Traynor offer guidelines for adapting toys. If you can solder or can find someone who can, most battery operated toys can be adapted so that they can be activated with a switch. Denise P. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Holiday Shopping for Kids with Disabilities in Assistive Technology is owned by . Permission to republish Holiday Shopping for Kids with Disabilities in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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