Rainbow Rogues are in the process of starting an Additional Support Needs Equipment Library to stock specialist equipment and sensory toys.
One of the issues that continues to arise with our families is the area surrounding child and family poverty that is relatively unseen to most people. Parents of children with additional support needs often invest money in expensive specialist equipment and sensory toys in the hope that it will aid their child’s development and often the item is unsuitable.
Our aim is to set up an Additional Supports Needs Equipment Library where parents can borrow equipment and sensory toys to try them with their child before they make the decision to buy them from the manufacturer/seller (the equipment we hold would not be available for sale). This will reduce the amount of money that parents unnecessarily spend on equipment and toys that are not suitable.
We have undertaken a survey to gauge people’s opinions on their experience of buying specialist equipment and sensory toys and have found that the majority of parents have bought items that have proven to be unsuitable. In order to minimise money being spent on these items, all respondents indicated that they would like the opportunity to have a trial period before making the decision to make a purchase, proving that the Equipment Library would be beneficial.
Currently we have a small number of items available to hire, all of which have been donated, and this has so far been successful. We plan to charge a nominal fee for this service which will be invested back into the scheme to maintain the equipment and buy new items.
Although we have applied for funding from several organisations, Trusts and Funds, in these uncertain times, a lot of the funding opportunities have been placed on hold so we are now looking at alternative ways of stocking the Library so that we are in a position to offer more items once life gets back to normal.
We are in the process of approaching equipment manufacturers to ask if they could donate any items, local businesses for financial donations and are now asking for help from the general public in the form of an Amazon Wish List.
We are confident that this scheme will be a success and hope that the kindness of strangers will help us achieve our goal.
If you would like to support us, please either get in touch through our website or make a purchase directly from our Amazon Wish List. Any donation made either now or when life gets back to normal would be very much appreciated.
