My goal is to make a site that I wish existed when I was first starting out switch adapting.
When I started switch adapting I found a lot of websites but most of them were complex and or technical.
I want this site to be a place:
To get ideas of things to try, and not have to wonder, “Will this work?” “Can I figure it out?” “How difficult is it?”
To ease the nerves of beginners and give them the confidence to give it a try. I do not want people to wait 3 years before trying it, like I did.
To get educational ideas and activities to do with switch adapted items.
To learn which is the best mode of adapting.
Where you don’t need to have a degree in assistive technology or engineering to understand what’s going on.
Where I share tips and tricks that I have learned to help people avoid the same mistakes I made when I started out.
Where you can find links to other websites and organizations to learn/get more ideas.
I am a very visual learner. I really require visuals to learn but I learn best from combining many different learning modes (e.g. visual, audio, and hands on). When I began my journey, I found many sites on switch adapting, but very few that incorporated multiple learning styles. My hope is to have both to make switch adapting accessible to all.
This site is a work in progress. Currently, you will find pictures of videos that I will be adding.
Information About Switches
What is a switch and a circuit? What are the different types of switches?
Tools
Here I cover the basic tools to buy, first project ideas, and information about wires, jacks, and other materials you will need to get started.
Additional Supplies
Here I include some more materials that you might need or want for specific project.
Getting started.
Here I cover some important first steps and tips for your first project, such as using wire strippers, heat shrink tubes, etc.
DIY Switches
Here I provide “how to” videos for some DIY versions of commercially available switches.
Toys and Items to Adapt
Here I include some commonly adapted toys along with some less common toys and offer ideas of what do with them.
How It All Began…
My idea to create this website was really just that for a while, an idea and I couldn't seem to get past the idea stage. I was working full time as a Special Education teacher in NYC and would adapt things for my classroom. I would take a few pictures here and there for my own records but I did not have time to make a website. To be honest, I was not sure if there was a need for this kind of site. I kept thinking, “I did not go to school for Assistive Technology (AT) so who am I to create a website?” In 2017, I went to a “Giving Tuesday” volunteer event ran by Adaptive Design Association in NYC where I learned to make battery interrupters for the holiday season.
I liked Adaptive Design so much I went back several times. I began realizing that switch adapted toys, switches and AT in general is expensive to purchase commercially and often breaks quickly. My students’ AT supports kept breaking and most of the time they were not under warranty. Their broken switches sat in a drawer because they were too expensive to throw out but no longer functional.
When the pandemic hit and remote learning began, the need for AT devices at home and cheap alternatives became a necessity. Schools and parents struggled to figure out solutions. My idea for PlayEnabled as a resource was at the forefront of my mind but I was still hesitant. It was not until many co-workers pushed me to “just do it, get your ideas out there!” that I decided to listen and thus PlayEnabled was born.
Why Call it PlayEnabled?
For most of my career, I worked with younger kids with multiple disabilities. When I tell people about the population that I teach, many assume that my students don’t know how to play. I have found that this is not the case at all. It’s not that they don’t enjoy playing with toys, it’s that most toys are not designed for them to play with, they are not playable.
Young kids learn through playing and exploring the world around them. However, many students with severe and multiple disabilities are not afforded the same exposure and experiences with things in their environment. So I wanted to make toys playable by giving them the means to do so or enabling them to interact with these toys, hence PlayEnabled.
About Me
I am Shosh and I am the creator of PlayEnabled.
My Career:
I am a special educator who spent most of her career working in NYC and I have recently moved to Lehigh Valley, PA.
I have worked with students with severe and multiple disabilities since 2013.
Many of my students depended on assistive technology and communication devices and many places I have worked were in need of AT and the teacher needed to be resourceful.
My Education:
BA in Childhood Education
MS Early Childhood General and Special Eduction
Extension in Severe and Multiple Disabilities
Currently enrolled in a MS for Teaching Students who are Blind and Visually Impaired
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