KU graduate program inspires parent-child collaboration to make accessible toys

KU graduate student Jennifer Whiteford Houk describes teaching as a creative field. “There’s lots of thinking on your feet, lots of moving and changing and adapting to the direction and the needs of children,” she said. “Children keep me creative.” 

That source of creativity also extends to Whiteford-Houk's son. He recently took inspiration from what his mother learned in her master’s degree program at the KU School of Education and Human Sciences to make toys accessible for children with disabilities. 

Whiteford Houk, a Parents as Teachers home visitor in southeastern Franklin County, Kan., expects to graduate from KU in August 2026 with help from a federally funded program called Project MounTaiN. The two-year program, which is led by School faculty and researchers at the KU Center for Disabilities at the Life Span Institute, provides financial support and resources to educators working to earn their master’s degree in Early Childhood Unified Special Education, which combines special and general education. 

Through the program, students such as Whiteford-Houk develop expertise in intensive and evidence-based interventions, inclusion and family-centered practices, among other areas, said Maria Hugh, assistant professor of special education and project director. Graduates are prepared to work with students with one or more high-intensity support needs, including students with Individual Education Plans or Individual Family Support plans. 

Whiteford Houk said she’s enjoyed the opportunities within the program to expand her knowledge through lectures, assignments, and discussions that delve into children's needs for better learning and development and how to support them. 

“It’s great to work with other folks that are actively working in early childhood settings, and to have discussions with them about what we see as the needs where we are, as the boots on the ground,” Whiteford Houk said. 

After specialists from Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK) at the Life Span Institute introduced Whiteford Houk and her classmates to technology and tools for young Kansans with disabilities to learn, play, and grow, she thought of her 9-year-old son, Fox Houk.

“ATK brought a bunch of different toys, materials and adaptations of toys for young children for us to see,” she said. “We learned about different adaptive technology for our youngest kiddos and ways that we might connect them to those resources.” 

One of the demonstrations was of an electronic toy that had been adapted to allow a child with physical disabilities to better interact with it. A child who would have struggled to manipulate small buttons could play interact with the toy by using the palms of their hands or the side of their head to make toys light up and sing. 

Whiteford Houk was intrigued, and it got her thinking. How hard could it be to create more adapted toys for more kids? 

“That's kind of what led to the project for my kiddo,” she said.

Buying toys adapted for children with disabilities can be expensive. A $15 toy can end up costing 10 times more. But Whiteford Houk found do-it-yourself instructions online to create a switch-adapted toy, with links to patterns, tools, and instructional videos.

“I told my kiddo about this, and he's like, ‘I want to try that.’ And so, I said, ‘Well, let's make it happen.’”

Whiteford Houk and her son visited a thrift store. There they found the perfect toy for their project — a Fisher Price Dance & Move BeatBo for $3. They ordered the necessary components, and Houk got to work. He was excited about the possibility of using technology to help assist other kids. 

As Whiteford Houk continued learning at KU about more about tools to support early childhood learning, her son was creating one on his own.

“He took the reins,” Whiteford Houk said. "He watched the video, and he soldered the wires and connected the buttons. It was a really cool process for him.” 

Over the summer, Whiteford Houk suggested Houk share his project by entering it in the Franklin County Fair to help increase awareness of adaptive technology. He won a purple ribbon for the project.

“It was a big deal,” she said. “He was very proud of himself.” 

Afterward, Houk donated his prize-winning toy to the Paola School District, where his mother works.

Whiteford Houk said the process helped highlight the need for adaptive technology across the lifespan — and how even small actions can make a difference. 

“If a little 9-year-old can find a way to support his community and potentially help disabled children, I think, then anyone can,” Whiteford Houk said. 

Educators interested in pursuing a master's degree in early childhood unified special education are invited to explore the Project MounTaiN program, which is now considering applications for its fall 2026 cohort of students. 

Photo credits: Jennifer Whiteford Houk