Adaptive Toy Libraries

An entire industry is devoted to toys and educational materials for children with special needs. These are either toys that are made especially for this population, or are “off the shelf” toys that are adapted to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Unfortunately, there are few, if any, stores where these toys can be purchased. It is primarily an Internet and catalog industry. The toys also can be expensive, which is difficult for parents. It is impossible to know which toys a child will connect with, which they will enjoy, which they want to continue to play with for hours on end.

Assistive Technology of Ohio has a service that will give children access to these special toys. Parents have an opportunity to “try out” these toys to find out which ones best suit their child. In partnership with local county libraries, we have made a selection and checkout of these toys available, much like you would check out a book. This allows parents the opportunity to see how their child reacts to the toys and, if appropriate, make a more informed purchase decision if they decide to buy.

The table below lists the Ohio counties that currently have adapted toys.

 

 
County Library Name Location
Cuyahoga Cuyahoga County Public Library Parma
Fairfield Fairfield County District Library Lancaster
Franklin Westerville Public Library Westerville
Perry Perry County District Library New Lexington
Shelby Amos Memorial Public Library Sidney

 

What types of toys are available?

The size of the selection and the types of toys available are different at each location. There are several national companies, however, from which toys are selected toys that are part of our programs. Among these companies are:

Other adaptive toy and techology libraries
Additional resources
  • Lekotek --Advisory organization for parents