One of the great joys of life is playing with a young child. They're full of pure energy and bliss. But if you're paralyzed, then actively participating in play is very hard. As Donna Lowich, a grandmother in this video from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, says, "I'm basically relegated to spectator."
That's why the Foundation is developing toys that people with paralysis can use with children. These include remote control cars that can be operated with blow tubes and neck movements, as well as voice-activated pitching machines. They're called Adaptoys.
With the Adaptoys, users can participate in the simple joy of play. Eric LeGrand described his experience with the remote-controlled cars to Fox News:
“The idea of playing with my nephews with the Adaptoys, I thought it was honestly incredible,” LeGrand said. “It was awesome. I had a lot of fun with them competing and showing them that Uncle E does have some competitive drive. It was great.”
“It opens doors for me because all of a sudden I could play with them. I could pitch with a baseball or whiffle ball with them,” he said. “It was funny to see how my little nephew got so mad telling me I cheated when I won. That’s the priceless stuff you can’t replicate.”
-via Huffington Post