Give the Gift of Play! Support START-Play Hackers!

Who We Are – START-Play Hackers (Sitting Together and Reaching To–Play)

START- Play Hackers is a student organization at Duquesne University that designs, adapts, and fixes toys for children with disabilities. This organization strives to give every child the opportunity to play, regardless of their abilities.

Play is critical to early brain development. Engaging in play is important for children to develop cognitive, social, and motor growth. Since play is limited in children who have developmental and physical disorders, like Cerebral Palsy, these important skills can be further stunted.

Currently, there are a limited amount of toys that are suitable for children who have motor or developmental disorders. The toys that are available are extremely expensive, and are not very durable. Therefore, the families of these children must continually spend hundreds of dollars just to provide their son or daughter with a childhood. For comparison, a typical tricycle costs $50. However, an adapted tricycle costs about $1,000. Since it is not practical for these families who already must bear the burden of additional medical costs to supply their child an extensive toy box, the reduced exposure to play can restrict their development of motor, perceptual and cognitive skills.

That’s where START-Play Hackers comes in.

This student organization is comprised of students from various majors, including occupational therapy, physical therapy and biomedical engineering. Meetings are held bi-weekly to address the individual needs of children with disabilities. The interdisciplinary collaboration allows students to use their knowledge from various majors to find solutions to these unique issues. The students then work together to hack/adapt functional toys so that these children can enjoy all of the benefits that come along with play.

For some toys, the students re-wire and modify switches and controls of the toys so they can be adapted for children with disabilities and motor impairments. It’s all completed with low-cost resources to customize these toys so they are safe, functional and affordable.  

An Example of START-Play Hackers in Action

In one particular example, the organization learned of a child with muscle weakness who was unable to drive an electric toy car because he did not have enough strength to press a small button located in the center of the steering wheel. The students replaced that small push button with a large red switch button, added a contoured back for head and trunk support and a seatbelt and foam-covered guardrails on each side for safety.

Click here to watch a video of the child being able to drive the car thanks to the START-Play Hackers students.

Who We Help

START-Play Hackers works with families in the greater Pittsburgh area, as well as institutions such as the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind and the Watson Institute.

Why We Need Donations

START-Play Hackers believes that every child should have the chance to play. That is why we give away our toys for free. We use ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking to hack toys in the cheapest way possible, but donations are needed to help us enhance our current efforts and take our organization to the next level. Your gift will allow us to:

• Purchase toys that we can hack and adapt so children with disabilities can enjoy like any other child
• Buy the necessary tools to re-wire and modify switches and controls
• Host STEM outreach events for schools in the surrounding area to teach younger students how to adapt toys
• Provide transportation to visit facilities and families where toys are being donate

Please Donate Today and Spread the Word

We hope you will help us play a key role in giving these children the opportunity to play. Please donate today and help us spread the word about our campaign by sharing our page with family, friends, colleagues and on social media! Make sure to follow us on Facebook. #DUQPlay

We can’t wait to keep our donors informed about the impact your gifts will have on the children of the greater Pittsburgh area. Thank you!