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Shopping for childrens' special needs just became easier and a lot more fun! Toys'R'Us in partnership with the National Parent Network on Disabilities (NPND) has recently developed the Toys'R'Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids!' for parents of children who are disabled.
According to Joan Schwarz of the NPND, the credit is due to NPND Executive Director Patricia McGill-Smith and Toys'R'Us founder Charles Lazarus for getting the ball rolling and keeping it on track. Thanks to them, parents of kids with disabilities can make educated decisions when selecting appropriate toys from a selection given to all children.
Toys'R'Us has not made 'special toys,' rather, they have used the services of Toy Tips, Inc. to define suitability of select popular toys to 10 different learning and development areas. Toys are tested and labeled for each area, such as creativity, vision, gross motor, etc., as appropriate.
Toy Tips, Inc. is well known as a respected tester of toys. For this endeavor alone, thousands of children from across the United States representing 90 different physical and developmental disabilities were used as 'toy testers.' These children were observed by therapists they played with each of the toys, then the toys were statistically scored in each skill area as well as the 'fun factor.'
The NPND recommended to Toys'R'Us that they use inclusive pictures of both kids with disabilities and 'typical' kids in the catalog. Toy Tips, Inc. was responsible for the descriptions used in the guide. You will not find coupons in the guide, all stressed, because the guide is not a marketing tool. It is, said Schwarz, a response to the need for all children to play and learn.
This first guide went out to over 700,000 member families and children from 153 organizations nationwide. A new guide, featuring more older child games (such as computers, and other electronics) will be available this October.
Inspired by this first guide and the toys shown, parents have been asking Toys'R'Us to provide this information on all their toys. But, plans for such a massive operation have not been in the works.
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For more information the guide and on toys & play for
children with disabilities, please contact:
National Parent Network on Disabilities OR
Maryland Technology Assistance Program |
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It's not accidental that in this issue of Tapping
Technology, focusing on Assistive Technology in educational
settings, we feature an article on toys and play. Play is
not only the primary occupation of children, it is the
foundation upon which a lifetime of learning is built. Toys
are the first educational tools a child uses as she or he
begins exploration of the environment, and access to
appropriate toys is especially critical for children with
disabilities. Strain suggests that adequate toy play skills
is one factor that predicts higher sociometric standing for
preschoolers with severe disabilities (1985, Topics in Early
Childhood Education, 4(4), 47-58). Play is a great equalizer and developing early a sense of independence in manipulating the environment through play can serve to decrease 'learned helplessness.' In a positive respect, play is an appropriate vehicle for learning such valuable preschool skills as turn taking, sharing, expressive and receptive communication, object permanence, and a host of other 'building block' skills. Numerous studies have identified the value of early play in building fine and gross motor skills and decreasing undesirable behaviours. Not only are the toys identified in the Toys 'R' Us guide good to look at, but simple assistive technology can be used to adapt other toys to make them accessible to children with the severest of disabilities. Good ideas on using adapted toys come from a variety of sources. For a bibliography, including books, toys and materials available for loan write: WMTAP / Potomac Center, 1380 Marshall Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740, or call 800 99-WMTAP (toll free in Maryland) or 301/791-4626.
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