University Techs Rewire Toys For Kids With Disabilities To Make Them Easier To Use

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A technology program at the University of South Carolina is making toys accessible for kids with disabilities in more ways than one.

Many regular toys require kids to press a small, hidden button. But that can be difficult to switch for kids like Christian Dodson.

Christian "has cerebral palsy. He also had hydrocephalus when he was born, he is blind from the coma he went in," his mom, Nicole Jacobs, tells CBS affiliate WLTX. "So everything is through touch and sound so if he can feel it and hear it, he is absolutely for it."

That's where the adaptive toys come in. Techs who work with the SC Assistive Technology Program rewire the toys to add a CD or some type of large button on the outside that makes it super easy to turn it on and off.

"The switch is just like a light switch that we would use to turn lights on or off and we make them with CDs and that just provides a big surface for kids to push to turn a toy on or off," says the program director, Dr. Carol Page.

Some toys do come adapted for kids with disabilities, but Jacobs says they can be expensive.

Store-bought toys that come already adapted for kids with disabilities can be expensive.

"We're not a rich family, you know he's technically my fourth one, I have three other kids, so finding toys for his disability is super hard and if we do find 'em, they're way out of our price range," said Jacobs.

That's why the program takes affordable toys and adapts them for families for free. If you'd like to donate to the program, visit WLTX's website for a list of options.