Little Tyke

Little Tykes and special needs

Children of all shapes and sizes love to play. We at Little Tykes know that through play, children with disabilities can develop new skills, enjoy social interaction and have fun! A few years ago, we designed a toy to be used with our doll house Little Tykes Place. It features a boy figure in a wheelchair and also comes with a ramp to make the doll house accessible. We're happy to say that the Wheelchair, Ramp and Friend is one of our more popular accessories. * Since 1987, Little Tikes has included children with disabilities in our catalogs and advertisements. We were the first U.S. toy manufacturer to do so. In fact, we've won some awards because of our efforts. * In 1991, the National Down Syndrome Congress honored us with their National Media Award for print ads that included children with disabilities. * In 1994, Allied Services, sponsor of National Rehabilitation Week, awarded Little Tykes with a Special Achievement Award. In addition to designing toys for children with special needs, we were selected for our efforts to feature children with disabilities in our promotional materials and for our work with hearing-impaired people here at Little Tykes. * Our second honor in 1994 came from the National Easter Seals Society for designing the Wheelchair, Ramp and Friend. We also received a national award from Childhelp USA, one of the nation's leading organizations in the area of child abuse prevention, for our efforts on behalf of children everywhere. * Back in 1990, we were the first toy manufacturer to offer a toll-free line for hearing-impaired consumers. That's in addition to our regular toll-free line that we've operated since 1980. We really practice what we preach….Here at Little Tykes in the manufacturing area, we employ several hearing-impaired people. We've trained many of our hearing associates in sign language, so they are able to communicate with this special group.