can help grow open minds,” Rebecca
says.
She doesn’t just believe that
representation works, it’s something she
knows and that she sees in the children
Toy Like Me reaches.
“One child who was about to get her
first wheelchair, and was very anxious
about it, totally changed her attitude –
to one of excitement – after engaging
with our image of a Lego superhero
using a wheelchair,” Rebecca says.
“These little visual messages can be
very powerful. We’ve also heard of lots
of children taking a Toy Like Me to
school for show and tell, and using it
to start a conversation with the class.”TO INFINITY, AND BEYOND
But all this is just the beginning. This
year, Toy Like Me received a grant
from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation
to create 3D printed wheelchairs for
toys, which will be available later this
year, alongside a white cane, hearing
aids, and cochlear implants.Nothing beats the joy of a child
who feels seen, and that’s exactly
what Toy Like Me is doing for the
thousands of children in the UK
who, for so long, have not been able
to recognise themselves in the toys
they play with.
It’s evidence of the power that
we all have to evoke change, to
join in calls for progress, and
to get things done for future
generations. Because when we
all pull together to celebrate the
things that make us, and others,
different, we’re taking one giant
leap towards a kinder, more
inclusive world for all.It’s evidence of
the power that we
all have to evoke
change