LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville high schooler is making the holidays bright for kids with different abilities by pushing to find a solution to a problem most would never think of.

Sydney Amshoff is a sophomore at Sacred Heart Academy. While volunteering with the Kosair Kids Holiday Party last year, she noticed simple toys that bring joy to so many kids can't be used by others because of small buttons and on/off switches. 

That's when Amshoff connected with UofL and eventually engineers at GE to adapt toys, such as a bubble machine, so children with disabilities could operate them.

"Some of the toys were difficult to adapt, but we kept working," Amshoff said. "We didn't give up and we were able to do it."

Her work is impacting children like Gabriel.

"When you see that, you're actually witnessing a little miracle that, for the first time just like I am, because him being able to play with that bubble toy and start making noises and squealing in excitement when he's non-verbal is pretty amazing," Amshoff said. "You're getting to see joy when he doesn't always have that opportunity."

That joy will come from 27 toys that have been rewired so these children can operate them, but Amshoff isn't stopping there. She's in touch with other toy vendors in Kentucky as she plans to convert more toys in the future for Kosair Kids.

Her work is important because buying toys that are adapted can cost three times, or even more, as much as a regular toy. But Amshoff is finding a way to bring Christmas cheer and provide relief for Kosair families.

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