Toy Hack Guide
What is a Toy Hack?
Toy hacks are community events that modify electronic toys to make them easier to use for children with disabilities.
On this website, we talk about toy hacks that add a â…› inch female audio jack to toys you can buy from a store. This modification lets you plug the toy into a standard AT (Assistive Technology) switch. Switches allow toys to be used by children who cannot easily activate the original switch on the toy. The new switches are larger or custom, and often mounted on a stable surface.
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This switch will make the toy move, light up, sing, or dance, just like the original button.
Why are toy hacks important?
Playing, alone and with others, is essential for childhood development. As such, when children face barriers to play as a result of disability, these barriers can also impair the development of their social skills, parental relationships, and comfort interacting with their environment. Adapting toys at a toy hack can expand the variety of ways that a child with disabilities can play, developing skills and relationships.
Adapting toys is often much cheaper than buying a toy that is already adapted. It can also provide a greater variety of toy options to play with, since so many different toys can be adapted.
Toy hacks are also an excellent way to practice soldering, problem solving, and learn the basics of circuits. Since they can teach engineering skills, they show participants how engineering can be used to help others.