Toy library meets
needs of special children

Innovative designs allow physically disabled children
to enjoy leisure activities.

By Julia A. Karnstedt
and Carol Krashen

For the child with special needs, playing can be difficult. Often a physically disabled child requires special guidance and instruction in how to play — and special toys with which to play. The Marianjoy Rehabilitation Center's Toy Library addresses the special needs of such children.

The Toy Library is housed in Marianjoy's Therapeutic Recreation Department. More than 400 adapted and battery-operated toys, many specially designed for physically disabled children, were recently purchased with help from the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities Foundation and the Marianjoy Auxiliary.

A unique system

This collection of toys and games is for children ages infancy through 16. It is used to develop leisure activities, and to assist the development of language and cognitive skills. The toys are available through a Toy Library subscription. What makes these toys so special? They are specifically designed to adapt to a child's motor and

cognitive ability. Many toys are radio-controlled, battery-operated or switch-activated. These switches, which pick up the slightest amount of pressure, can help a child operate toys independently. Other toys, operated by a sip-and-puff device or by an eyebrow switch, serve children with spinal cord or brain injuries.

With the new adaptive devices, many of the new toys seem to operate by themselves. A voice-activated crib mobile for infants turns and plays music whenever someone speaks. An electronic toy race car and an electronic Play-a-Tune keyboard are just some of the other toys that help young children develop leisure activities.

For older children, the library offers switch-operated video games and board games such as Twister, Clue and Trouble. The library also offers a battery-operated card shuffler and a card holder.

Mutual benefits

Toys for the disabled are often difficult to find and expensive to buy. The library allows parents to borrow a toy without the expense of purchasing it. It also gives parents a valuable resource to help further the rehabilitation process.

The new toys will help develop a child's visual perception, cognitive skills, and language and sensory abilities. Therapeutic recreation will also use the toys to

Illinois Parts and Recreation 15 January/February 1988

Toy library

encourage social interaction and to improve a child's motor skills.

Before the toys are signed out, a therapeutic recreation specialist reviews the child's physical, cognitive and social skills, as well as the family's recreational interests. A therapeutic recreation pediatric specialist instructs parents and children on how to use the toys through a therapeutic play session.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Julia A. Kamstedt is the director of therapeutic recreation at the Marianjoy Rehabilitation Center in Wheaton. Carol Krashen is the communications specialist there.

The specialist meets with the family monthly and introduces new toys to the children. The toys are returned monthly, and new toys are selected.

The Toy Library is assisting physically disabled children and their families enjoy play activities, an important aspect of a child's growth and development.

Illinoisans serve as NRPA trustees Four Illinois residents were among the sixteen individuals selected last fall to serve on the National Recreation and Park Association's (NRPA's) 68-member board of trustees. They are: Stephen L. Cherveny, an administrative assistant with the Elmhurst Park District. The past president of NRPA's Student Branch, Cherveny is a graduate of Western Illinois University (MS) and the University of Illinois (BS). His past experience includes two years as program director at Camp EDI, run by the American Diabetes Association. He also has worked as program director of the Wellness Center at Western Illinois University, and served as an administrative intern for NRPA's Great Lakes Regional Office in 1985. Cherveny was elected as the Student Branch representative to the board of trustees. Ralph Cianchetti, past president of the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD). A graduate of Northeastern University (MA), Cianchetti is a retired high school English teacher. He is a director and past president of the Illinois Scholastic Press Association, and a recipient of the Journalism Teacher of the Year award. Cianchetti is a commissioner and past president of the Park District of Highland Park, He is also a past recipient of the IAPD President's Award. Kevin T. Kendrigan, director of the Northwest Special Recreation Association in Rolling Meadows. A two-time graduate (BS and MS) of Southern Illinois University, Kendrigan has long been active in Approximately two-thirds of the 68-member board represent the public at large; the remaining third represents park and recreation professionals. both the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) and the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD). He served as chairman of NRPA's Great Lakes Regional Council in 1986, and headed the council's Aquatics and Swimming Pool Conference the same year. Kendrigan was president of the Special Recreation Associations of Northern Illinois, and the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Society. He will serve as the professional representative from the Great Lakes Regional Council. Robert J. Winn, Jr., president of the Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka. The school is the largest private educational institution serving the blind and deaf-blind in the world. Through his expertise and use of the most modem administrative strategies, the non-educational support aspects of this international school have been reduced, and his long-range plan has become a model for other educational and human services organizations in the Chicago area. A graduate of the University of Texas (Ph.D. and M.Ed.) and North Texas State University (BA), Winn has also served as acting associate commissioner of the Office of Program Operations at the Rehabilitation Services Administration, director of the Bureau for Blind and Visually Impaired at the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and as executive director of the Governor's Coordinating Office for the Visually Handicapped. He is the vice-president of the National Council of Private Agencies for the Blind, was a member of the White House Conference on Literacy, and serves on the board of the Braille Authority of North America. Winn will serve as a citizen-at-large member. Also serving on the board of trustees are Donald Bresnan, Champaign Park District; Jerry Handlon, Schaumburg Park District; Peter Koukos, Park District of Highland Park; Eugene Pomerance, Elmhurst; Mick Pope, Elmhurst Park District, and Robert Toalson, Champaign Park District.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 16 January/February 1988