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Toys and Play
Ohio State University Fact Sheet on Toys and Play
Short fact sheet which includes some basic toy suggestions.
The Toy Manufacturers of America Guide to Toys and Play
Information about toys which includes a useful safety checklist.
Family Village Accessibility Shopping Mall : Adaptive Toys
Includes Informational Resources and Vendors.
Children & Youth: Internet Resources on Toys for Children with Disabilities by Jane Vincent
Includes links to sites for building/adapting toys, public/charitable resources and commercial sites.
"Learning through Play with Homemade Toys: Activities to Share with Families"
By Alisa Burroughs and Ashley Talmadge - Order Form
Toys for the Infant/Toddler with Visual Impairments
Perkin's PlaySpace
A stimulating box for blind and visually impaired infants and toddlers from the Perkin's School for the Blind.
Association for Retinopathy of Prematurity
Holiday Toys : what to get for a child with visual impairment. The Ropard Website has opened the box and kicked the tires and has a very extensive list of toys, including those that light up and do not make noise.
Toys and Play page which provides examples of toys which are appropriate for visually impaired children. Includes a lengthy list of household items, play suggestions and toy suggestions by age.
Baby Shop's Helping Your Customers Choose Toys for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Enabling Devices
The toys for special children include augmentative communication devices, capability switches, specially adapted toys and other items. The Specially Adapted Toy section groups toys by type of toy such as Blocks & Puzzles.
Exceptional Parent's Toys for Visual Impairment
You must register to use the site. They have a very select group of toys for the visually impaired.
Kaddo Special Needs page
This British toy vendor provides a list of what to look for when buying toys for the visually impaired.
Lekotek
A central source on toys and play for children with special needs. Includes a Top 10 Tips for Choosing Toys.
Scottish Sensory Centre
This is an extensive resource for learning about play in the visually impaired child and toys for different types of play.
Tactile Quilts and Toys
Quilts and toys made with high contrast colors and interesting textures.
Toy Industry Association Guide to Toys for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Toys organized by Infant or type of toy.
General Toy Vendors
Come Play With Me Toys
In addition to being organized by age, the toys also are organized by skill such as fine motor skills, gross motor skills and auditory skills.
Discovery Toys
Toys are organized by age level and also by skill.
eToys
Toys are organized by age, price, gender and category.
Hasbro Preschool Portal
Browse by age, brand or category.
Mattel Toys
Toys are organized by product line such as Baby University and Fisher Price.
Natural Play Toys
They sell classic toys which are organized by age and type.
SmarterKids: Great Educational Materials for Young Minds
ADVISOR Active Learning Playspace
ADVISOR Active Learning Playspace: The Active Learning PlaySpace is a tool used by teachers and aides of visually impaired children to improve spatial relations and reaching behaviors
Puzzles and Games
Below is a list of puzzles and games that are accessible to the blind and visually impaired. If you know of a game and/or a puzzle that you think should be listed here please send the URL to mrrcmedia@tch.harvard.edu and we will take a look.
Gamesfortheblind.com
A website where you can order games for your computer (windows only) such as blackjack, battleship and yahtzee.
These do not need a special screenreader such as JAWS. They are bundled with the required speech software.
bscgames.com
Games for the blind and visually impaired. There is a variety to choose from. Free downloads are also available (windows only)
Dynamic Living
Website where you can order low vision board games such as low vision scrabble and jumbo checkers