Welcome to the PlayACCESS Initiative!
PlayACCESS by Corso SMART Lab: Where Learning, Design, and Play Connect
PlayACCESS by Corso SMART Lab promotes inclusive, accessible play for individuals of all ages and abilities. Through toy adaptations, switch-access technology, and hands-on student training, we teach future speech-language pathologists how to modify commercially available toys and equipment to create accessible play experiences that support participation, communication, and independence.
PlayACCESS Adaptive Equipment Donation – Amazon Wishlist is LIVE!
We are now accepting donations through April 6, 2026 for our PlayACCESS Adaptation Build Day on April 11, 2026!
The Corso SMART Lab in partnership with Saint Mary’s College National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is hosting an Adaptive Equipment Donation Drive to support hands-on learning in accessible and inclusive play.
Through PlayACCESS, students will use donated toys and equipment to design and create permanent, adapted solutions that promote meaningful access to play for individuals of all ages and abilities. These adapted builds will support classrooms, clinics, and community partners throughout the South Bend area.
Items on our Amazon Wishlist include:
Electronic card shufflers
Toy baseball pitching machines
Interactive singing plush toys
Cause-and-effect toys
Build materials
And more adaptive-friendly play materials
Every donation helps transform everyday toys into universally accessible experiences.
Thank you for supporting accessible play, communication access, and inclusive design through PlayACCESS!
PlayACCESS Adaptive Equipment Build Day – April 11, 2026
The Corso SMART Lab and the Saint Mary’s College National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) invite students and faculty from Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame to join us for the PlayACCESS Adaptive Equipment Build Day on April 11, 2026, in the SPARK Lab on the Saint Mary’s College campus.
During this hands-on event, participants will work together to modify toys and electronic devices so individuals with physical or complex communication needs can independently access and participate in play.
Through the PlayACCESS initiative, the Corso SMART Lab promotes inclusive design, assistive technology innovation, and meaningful access to play, participation, and communication for individuals of all ages and abilities.
2026 Community Partners Selected for PlayACCESS Adaptive Equipment Build Day
We are excited to announce our 2026 PlayACCESS Community Partners, who will receive the adapted equipment created during this event:
- First English Lutheran Preschool
- A Rosie Place for Children
- Reins of Life
- Early Childhood Development Center (Saint Mary’s College and University of Notre Dame campuses)
- Judd Leighton Speech and Language Clinic
We can't wait to start building for you in April!
The Inaugural Launch of PlayACCESS
In Spring 2025, the Corso SMART Lab launched the inaugural PlayACCESS initiative in partnership with the Saint Mary’s College NSSLHA chapter. Students collected donated toys and worked in the Saint Mary’s College SPARK Lab maker space to adapt them for switch access, creating inclusive play opportunities for individuals with physical and communication needs. The adapted toys were donated to A Rosie Place in South Bend, Indiana, marking the beginning of the PlayACCESS program’s commitment to accessible play and community partnership.
The Inspiration Behind PlayACCESS
The Inspiration Behind PlayACCESS
This work is deeply personal to me. Before returning to Ohio University to complete my PhD, I spent much of my clinical career as a speech-language pathologist working with individuals with severe disabilities who relied on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
During my doctoral program, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Diana Schwerha in the College of Engineering and Technology. Through her mentorship, I pursued a minor in Human Factors and collaborated with students in Industrial and Systems Engineering courses to bring disability perspectives into engineering design.
One experience that left a lasting impression on me was Dr. Schwerha’s Adapted Electric Cars for Children with Disabilities class project. I had the opportunity to accompany her and her students into the community to witness the real-world impact of engineering solutions designed with accessibility in mind. That experience reinforced something I had observed throughout my clinical career—the profound difference adapted equipment can make in participation, independence, and communication.
When I joined the faculty at Saint Mary’s College, I knew I wanted to create a similar hands-on learning opportunity for our students. Through PlayACCESS, we teach future speech-language pathologists how to modify commercially available toys and equipment so individuals of all ages and abilities can independently access play, participation, and communication.