KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, nonprofit gave nearly 100 families accessible, motorized cars designed specifically for children with disabilities.
The cars are not just toys, they're a way for kids to move forward with independence and new social opportunities.
LEARN's Geeks for Kids program is adding dozens of new drivers to the road — or sidewalk — with customized vehicles built to match each child's abilities.
Families apply for the cars, then volunteers like Randy Childers help design them using 3D printing techniques, coding and adapting the controls.
"We're assembling them, we're also modifying them," Childers said. "It really just depends on what the specifics of the child require."
The organization spent approximately $500,000 this year building the cars at no cost to the families. Each car costs about $4,500 to assemble. LEARN Science & Math Club's president explained that the organization started with one car being built for one family 20 years ago, and now, the nonprofit is delivering cars to Ohio and Texas.
"At the heart of it is that we want every kid to be able to go out and play in the part of the world, but also to grow stronger, to wire up their brains and to connect with other people," Rebecca Kidwell said. "Families tell families to tell families. Our challenge is to grow fast enough to meet the need."
Some cars have low-resistance steering, others can be driven with head movements, and all of them come with parental controls for enhanced safety.
"As the parent of a kid with special needs, I get it. It's really, really hard to stop all that fear inside you and let the kids go off and explore on their own," Childers said. "But this makes it a lot easier to do that."
Childers' daughter, Nori, has a very rare physical and developmental disability.
"She's the second person found with it, so pretty rare," Childers said. "There's no script. We have no idea what the future is."
Childers started volunteering with LEARN during its second year. At first, it was just a hobby of engineering and designing. But it's evolved to much more than that.
"It was like 10% altruism and 90% selfishness, because I wanted to do cool stuff," Childers laughed. "Since then, I would say that has rebalanced a lot. The mission has really grown in my mind."
Childers explained that Nori faces what every child with disabilities does — difficulty connecting with other kids.
"[Neurotypical children will] just get real light eye and kind of walk away, and it's really hard to explain to her what just happened," Childers said. "I still don't have a good explanation for it."
An accessible car is what Childers calls the antidote.
"They've got this cool thing that has all kinds of extra bling and sound," Childers said. "They now have the power to let someone ride with them if they want to, and so that changes the dynamic entirely. It's a big deal."
It's about letting kids be kids, without barriers or stigma.
"These cars are like a magic trick," Childers said.
And for Childers, it's about giving kids the chance to have the coolest toy on the block.
"It's probably the best thing I've ever done with my life," Childers said. "I know the echoes of these actions will go on for a long time, and it literally can change the trajectory of a child's life."
You can learn more information about getting involved here.
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