BURNABY, September 25, 2023 – Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change (new window) program is launching their second annual #HackingForTheHolidays (new window) campaign to make sure that play is accessible to all kids with disabilities this holiday season.
With a fundraising goal of $100,000, we are aiming to build 2,000 toys, switches, and video game joysticks, host over 100 events across all 10 provinces.
Why is this so important? Commercially available assistive switches and switch-accessible toys are expensive, and easily exceed $100 each. That high cost leaves many families and therapists supporting kids with disabilities without the interactive toys and access methods that are crucial to childhood development. Often, the cost to adapt the toy is $5 of parts or less, and the adaptation is done by students, community makers, and corporate volunteers at our events.
The campaign runs from September 25th through to the end of December and during this time, Makers Making Change will be holding toy hackathon events across Canada where students, volunteers, and corporate partners will build adapt toys for kids with disabilities.
Visit our campaign website: Hacking For The Holidays Website (new window)
Watch our video: Hacking for the Holidays Fundraiser (new window)