Looking for a last-minute gift for a child? Take a look at Orchard Toys’ Giant Road jigsaw, a chunky themed floor puzzle. Three of the characters have disabilities.
Woodland Party, another jigsaw from Orchard Toys, shows people with disabilities too.
The company, based in Norfolk, works closely with #ToyLikeMe which campaigns for the global toy industry to better represent the 150million children around the world with disabilities.
In a list of top five toys, #ToysLikeMe founder Rebecca Atkinson names 3D printable hearing aids and cochlear implants for children to fit on their favourite toys from MakieLab, Lottie’s Rockabilly Lottie, a doll who wears glasses and American Girl, which sells a pretend diabetes care kit.
Lego has introduced a wheelchair user as one of its popular minifigures and Playmobile is set to follow suit with a disability model scheduled soon.
Research has shown that children are more open minded to forming friendships with disabled peers after playing with toys which show a disability. While, for children with disabilities, having a toy which positively reflects their impairment can help to boost their self-esteem.
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