Dad Launches Adapted Toy Startup That Caters to Kids with Special Needs
Buying the perfect toy for a kid can be tricky. Will they think it’s cool? Is it fun to play with? Or are you too unhip and far gone into adulthood to be trusted with such choices?
When it comes to children with disabilities, a lack of suitable options can make gift buying even more of a challenge. However, Ontario dad Devin Sisak, 32, is shaking up the market with his company Toy Hackers.
Formed in December, the business modifies and sells popular toys, including Nerf guns and action figures, so children with fine motor skill troubles can play with them, reports The Hamilton Spectator.
Sisak’s son, four-year-old Holden, has a rare disorder called Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. While intellectually Holden is at the same level as other kids his age, he has limited use of his hands. This makes it difficult for him to play with electronic toys with small switches, which are unfortunately some of the more entertaining products on sale.
But Sisak refuses to buy his son easier to manage toys designed for younger children.
“To get him a baby toy feels like a disservice — he obviously knows that this is a baby toy,” he told The Spec. “It doesn’t stimulate him or bring him up with his peers.”
His solution: Sisak rewires toys and gives them larger buttons so kids like his son don’t miss out.
We need more adapted tech startups
Less than a month after launching Toy Hackers, Sisak’s already sold 10 adapted Nerf guns at CAD$120 each. The unadapted versions sell for CAD$80. He’s also modified a paintball gun, a Barbie corvette, and a Mario Kart Racetrack. Several other items are available to buy from his store on Facebook.
Sisak’s entrepreneurship is impressive. It shows that when we can’t rely on big toy makers to offer age-appropriate and accessible product options, we can step in and fill the gap ourselves. I hope others are inspired by what he’s doing and take it upon themselves to build companies that cater to non-able-bodied folks, whether or not someone they love has a disability.
In fact, Sisak has begun branching out his business by adapting electronics for adults. He sells switch adapted Keurig coffee machines, TV remotes, and mini beamers. He told The Spec he also plans to modify toys for older kids as well as other appliances for adults with movement troubles.
Image sources: Toy Hackers/Facebook
