A rapidly growing number of intelligent moms are creating products and services to improve the world in which we live. Fueled by my passion for the education and safety of children with special needs, I created Warner’s Corner Toys. My vision is that it will become the premiere store for the whole special needs and learning challenged community. My mission is to assemble such a diverse toy and resource collection that I can match each child with the perfect toy to meet their needs. In addition, I wish to make it affordable for every family.
My web store is up and running and I am happy with myr current progress. However, I need to expand. In order to do so, this week I will launch a Ms. Genuity crowdfunding campaign. Ms.Genuity is a new crowdfunding company that focuses on mom-invented products. Mary Ann O’Neil, CEO for Ms. Genuity, notes that, “speaking with Laura about her passion for Warner’s Corner Toys is contagious! She has put every bit of her heart and soul into helping children with special needs “become.”
Since opening Warner’s Corner Toys, the prevalence of autism, for example, has increased from 1 in 110, to 1 in 88 with 1 in 54 being boys. According to the CDC’s 2013 study, the incidence rate of Down syndrome has increased from 1 in 733 births to 1 in 691. The numbers of children being diagnosed with learning disabilities also continues to climb. Resources, however, are not keeping pace with this exponentially growing need. Families, educators and therapists the world over are on a mission to find affordable, safe, and effective tools. It is my hope that Warner’s Corner Toys will be their answer.
I believe strongly that a child engaged in play is a child engaged in learning. That belief inspired the creation of Warner’s Corner Toys. The toys selected for the web store have been carefully chosen to appeal to children with special needs worldwide. They fuel kids’ creativity and help them develop gross and fine motor skills. The toys teach everyday living skills through role play. They promote the social and communication skills necessary to build rewarding relationships. Perhaps most importantly, the toys encourage successful problem solving which gives children the confidence to be independent.
In my journey to create Warner's Corner Toys, I have partnered with the Autism Association of Michigan's trainer, the police officers that created Find 'em Scent Kits, the non-profit Project Life Saver and other safety organizations to present an autism awareness training in the Detroit area. With advice from both police officers and firefighters, I am designing special needs awareness alerts to help First Responders know when they are entering a home where an individual on the autism spectrum, for example, lives or if they are in a vehicle that has been stopped. They will then be able to act accordingly and everyone will be safer. These alerts will include reflective window clings, magnets, stickers, and velcro/hanging signs that indicate "Autism Alert", "Special Needs Alert", etc. and "Individual May Not Respond to Verbal Commands."
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