PNW FREE Virtual Toy Adaptation Courses

Jay Lin  

The below event has concluded. Please see this link for slides used during this event!

Hello from PNW Adapted Toy Library,

I hope you are all doing well in this time of uncertainty. 

We are hosting free online toy adaptation courses for people who identify as having a disability, are caregivers and/or are disability service providers! Toy Adaptations are events in which we re-engineer electronic toys for better accessibility. Participants will enter the course through Zoom and will be guided through the general toy adaptation process, as well as going through the basics of circuits and soldering. No experience is required. 

What: Free Virtual Toy-Hacking Course

When: TBD, depends on your availability. The courses will take place via multiple Zoom sessions over several days, you may choose to participate in all or any of them.

Where: Via Zoom, link provided via email after enough participants have registered.

What to do to sign up for the event and be prepared for full participation: 

  1. Please fill out this poll to register for the event and indicate your availability: https://forms.gle/M6uMUEB8cW7TBDsW8
  2. After registering via the above link, you will later receive an invitation via email to take a research survey on recreational services. After completing the research survey, you will receive an invitation link to our Zoom event for the virtual hack. If you are experiencing issues, please contact jial8@uw.edu.
  3. In order to perform virtual toy adaptation along with us, you will need materials at your location. Please see our warning regarding soldering in an enclosed space that is not specifically designed for soldering activities*. See this list of required and recommended materials: https://tinyurl.com/sn54znp
  4. (Optional) Soldering tutorial video to watch: https://www.weller-tools.com/how-to-use-soldering-iron/

Feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Thank you for your time, and stay safe!

From, 

PNW Adapted Toy Library Volunteers:

Natalie VanDevanter, Samantha Mak, Jay Lin, Research Assistants, University of Washington                                     

Anat Caspi, Director of TCAT (Taskar Center for Accessible Technology) at the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science & Engineering: University of Washington, 

adaptedtoylib@cs.washington.edu 

*Soldering emits fumes that are dangerous to your lungs. The most common way to mitigate these fumes in enclosed spaces is a ventilation system that removes fumes from the air. While laboratories are typically equipped with such systems, a typical home or office environment is not. There are portable devices called fume extractors that can be purchased online. These devices fit on a tabletop and can be effective for one soldering iron at a time, i.e., not on a massive scale. The list of recommended materials above lists a few options for purchasing such a device.