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Tevin's Adaptive Toy Drive

Cierra Milton and Terrell Glenn are the drivers behind Tevin's Adaptive Toy Drive. Photo by Joshua Huston

Help pass on the joy of toys on Dec. 14

Tevin’s Adaptive Toy Drive aims to spread the joy of electronic play

As parents, we all have those toys in the house. 

They may be in the back corner of a closet because our kids have outgrown them or on a high shelf because they are still popular playthings but drive us up the wall by the end of the day. Then there are the toys with tiny buttons and little switches designed for small fingers to push. Toys that light up, beep, dance in place, or roll along the floor.

If they are finished serving time in your family, consider giving these latter toys–the ones with the buttons, switches, noises, and movements— a chance with another child. Join a workshop to adapt them for children who otherwise would not be able to play with them.

Addressing a toy challenge

In its second year, Tevin’s Adaptive Toy Drive gives a second life to toys—or, in the case of brand-new toys, an adapted life—for kids who cannot push small buttons or flip switches due to motor-functioning challenges or sensory issues. Those challenges can make it difficult or impossible for children with conditions like spina bifida, Down syndrome, spinal cord injuries, or dexterity and mobility impairments to trigger the lights, noises, and motors of toys using the mechanisms built in by manufacturers. 

Cierra Milton and Terrell Glenn will host the adaptive toy workshop in December and say they are on a mission to give people the skills they need to adapt toys on their own for kids with different abilities. This year, Tevin’s Adaptive Toy Drive takes place on Saturday, December 14, at Byrd Barr Place. Families are welcome to sign up and participate. Glenn says there are always things kids can help with, like unscrewing battery packs and snipping wires.


Join Tevin’s Adaptive Toy Drive
Want to make a difference in a child’s life? Help adapt electronic toys for children with dexterity, motor functioning, and sensory challenges. Bring new and gently used electronic toys to adapt. Don’t have a toy? No worries, join anyway. Kids are welcome. Where: Byrd Barr Place When: December 14 from 10 a.m. to noon Register: Go to  Eventbrite.com and search for Tevin’s Adaptive Toy Drive 

A couple on a mission 

Developing the adaptive toy workshop has been a long-time goal for Glenn, a hardware engineer at Microsoft, and Milton, an occupational therapist at Harborview Medical Center. Glenn’s younger brother Tevin, the drive’s namesake, has cerebral palsy. Glenn says he grew up watching his father disassemble toys and rewire them to levers and buttons large enough for Tevin to manipulate. 

“I would take (Tevin’s) hand and help him push the buttons,” Glenn recalls. “The same toys that I used to play with, now he could too.”

During the event, participants will learn how to dismantle and rewire electronic toys. Glenn and Milton will provide instruction, encouragement, and all the tools necessary – through the generous support of the NE Seattle Tool Library

“We’ll meet you where you’re at,” says Milton, “and you’ll learn a new skill… you just never know when it might be useful in your community.” 

Increasing awareness 

The toys adapted during the drive will be donated to children with disabilities through groups like Boyer Children’s Clinic, Haring Center for Inclusive Education, and the Down Syndrome Center of Puget Sound

The couple also hopes that participants will leave with an increased awareness and appreciation for the experiences and difficulties of people with disabilities.

“We’re trying to make this a low-barrier environment,” says Milton. 

“Just come with enthusiasm,” adds Glenn. 

Increasing access and skill

Adapting toys is not only about equal accessibility, says Milton. Actions like pushing a button and hearing a stuffed toy laugh or speak teach all children about cause and effect, which is the basis for many other skills. Therapists like Milton work to help their patients develop these skills.

Glenn and Milton point out that not all parents have the confidence to wield a soldering gun to adapt a toy. Moreover, companies that market adaptive toys and switches often charge $50-$80 for what Glenn’s dad did for $5 in a short time.

The couple hopes to see at least 25 participants at this year’s adaptive toy drive. They hope to adapt and donate dozens of toys. Eventually, Glenn and Milton plan to launch a non-profit organization and hold drives and workshops throughout the year.

Every child, they stress, should have toys they can enjoy, and interact and play with, adapted to their needs.

Read more:

Guide to Free Holiday Family Fun around Seattle

About the Author

Nils Dahlgren

Nils Dahlgren is a freelance writer and father of three based in Seattle. He also blogs at awesomesolodad.com