The Toy Adaptation Program awarded the Emerging Community Engagement Award

Posted: April 30, 2018

The Toy Adaptation Program's mission is to provide hands-on educational opportunities to engineering students and community members, while making a positive societal impact through the modification of electronic toys. Participants learn to apply problem-solving and technical skills to adapt toys so that children with special needs are able to use them. The toys are donated to toy lending libraries or directly to families. By developing this connection between academia and the community, TAP strives to address social issues through experiential learning.

Naturally, TAP requires the expertise of many individuals within varying fields due to the integrated nature of work related to technology and health. Together, all our partners derive solutions related to adapted toys. Each semester, we hold an advisory board meeting to bring together our partners in one space. These meetings continue to generate additional collaborations, including one recently developed with Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists at OSU.

Community Partners Involved: RePlay for Kids, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Heinzerling Foundation, Columbus Public Libraries, Columbus Local Schools, Mississippi State University, American Electric Power

Ohio State Partners Involved: College of Engineering, Department of Engineering Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Nisonger Center, Honors & Scholars Center, Assistive Technology of Ohio, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Toys for Tots workshop at Nationwide Children's Hospital