Our Crowdfunding Groups
Watching a young child play with an interactive toy is a joy many parents take for granted. Holidays and birthdays provide ample opportunities for children to reap the bounties of toy builders’ imaginations but that joy is not accessible for the many families who have a child with a physical disability. The Toy Adaptation Program (TAP) addresses this need by creating experiences for OSU students and community members to apply their engineering knowledge to adapt toys for children with special needs.
TAP relies on donor support in order to facilitate workshops to teach toy adaptation. Specifically, TAP facilitates workshops to teach toy adaptation. The adaptation process includes adding an external port to the toy so that an accessibility switch can be used. Workshop participants experience first-hand the positive societal impact of engineering through the modification of electronic toys. Participants apply problem-solving and technical skills to adapt the toys building their own skills and knowledge while supporting the community. The toys are donated to toy lending libraries, therapists, or directly to families who have children with special needs. By making a gift to TAP, you help our students give the gift of play to children with special needs.
The funds raised through this campaign will be used to support TAP during the 2019-2020 academic year. This will include workshops for first-year engineering students and other students across campus, along with a holiday workshop for local families. The funds will be used to purchase tools, consumable supplies such as wires and jacks, and, of course, toys! Funds will also be used to support student interns and staff who run the program. All the toys that are adapted will be donated to support those with special needs in the local community and beyond. Thank you in advance for your support!
An adapted bubble blower costs $49.95 to purchase from a vendor.
596 first year students will adapt toys in engineering labs in 2018.
