Service-Learning: Everyone Deserves to Play!

Children learn from interactions with peers and through independent play. Children with significant disabilities often struggle to engage in play and require the use of adapted toys. The purpose of this research was to explore occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) student perceptions of a service-learning activity of adapting toys to be switch accessible. A total of 50 toys were switch adapted by the students and distributed to the local community. Student perception of interest included overall learning, views on service-learning, and the importance of volunteering in the community. Survey results indicate that most students believed this project helped them to become more aware of an individual’s needs and how to make a difference in their community. The OT and OTA students also reported this activity reinforced problem-solving skills and classroom coursework. Learning how to adapt battery operated items is an important skill for OT and OTA students to develop prior to professional practice. Skills learned from adapting items can be used to assist clients of all ages in all practice settings