by Megan Lesh, OT, Children’s Therapy, Valley Medical Center
The HuskyADAPT toy adaptation project is an organization through the University of Washington that teaches students, engineers, clinicians, and community members how to adapt toys for children with disabilities in order to improve their access to play! Toy adaptation involves wiring a toy to bypass the standard off/on switches and customizing the switch to the user’s abilities. The toys are adapted by UW students and donated directly to families, clinics, schools, and adapted toy libraries.
HuskyADAPT has started up their toy request program again! To request your own adapted toy please complete this form. Toys requested are adapted and then available for families to pick up at UW. All toy pickup events will be contactless and toys will be sanitized prior to donation. The program will not be donating plush toys due to current COVID19 precautions.
If you are interested in trying out adapted toys, the non-profit organization PROVAIL has opened the PNW Adapted Toy Library in partnership with two programs from the University of Washington, HuskyADAPT and the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology. This library offers adapted toys, games, and switches to children with physical disabilities to borrow and try out!
