King’s College Occupational Therapy and Engineering Students Team Up for Go Baby Go Event

Five children from Pennsylvania and New Jersey will receive adapted ride-on toy cars this year.

King’s College occupational therapy and engineering students teamed up with volunteers on Saturday, Nov. 14, to adapt five battery-powered ride-on toy cars for children with disabilities during the NEPA Go Baby Go Build Day at the College’s Kowalski Center.

Students modified vehicle controls and added positioning supports to make the cars easier for children with limited mobility to use. The adaptations give children more ways to move independently, explore their surroundings, and play alongside their peers.

“As occupational therapy students, we start by asking what a child wants to do and what might make it easier for them to do it,” said Bryanna Nelson, a graduate occupational therapy student at King’s College. “At Build Day, we work with engineering students to turn those observations into changes the child can actually use. Something as simple as moving a switch within reach can let a child start the car on their own and choose who they want to play with or where they want to go.”

“Volunteering at an event like this opens your eyes to how much you can help someone's life, especially the kids. Using simple Engineering skills, nothing fancy or complex, just helping with what we got,” said Jonathan Garcia, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major at King’s College.

For Michaela Smith, the Go Baby Go Build Day gave her son Asher, who has spina bifida, a new way to play. King’s College occupational therapy and engineering students adapted a tan ride-on Jeep to meet Asher’s mobility needs so he can take the wheel and decide where he wants to go.

“There is so much that goes through a parent’s mind when you find out your child will have a disability. Where Asher lacks in some areas, he makes up in his intellect and vocabulary, but a modified car lets him have something every other kid has and is able to play and have fun,” said Smith. “I can’t even put into words how special today made both Asher and me feel. There aren’t a lot of times where kiddos like Asher get to be the star of the show, but today did just that. I’m so proud to be his mom.”

King’s College occupational therapy and engineering students and faculty founded the Northeastern Pennsylvania chapter of Go Baby Go in 2023. The student-led chapter brings together students, faculty, and community volunteers to make adapted ride-on cars more accessible to local families.

Families interested in applying for an adapted vehicle and community members interested in volunteering can learn more on the NEPA Go Baby Go program page.