If you travel in a wheelchair, or care for someone who does, you might want to take a look at this website, run by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. You’ll find recommendations for best practices, other suggestions, and detailed information about how to use tie-down straps and locking devices.
There’s also an “Other Factors” page with specifics covering basic information that otherwise might get learned the hard way. (Securing loose items, how to deal with trays, head and neck support, etc..)
Especially useful for those who are new to wheelchair transport, this website is also an excellent refresher course for the old pro. (Or for anyone relying on the incomprehensible leaflets that come with new straps.) A glossary page demystifies some of the jargon, and there’s a useful resources page, too.
Modern portable units have revolutionized the lives of many oxygen users. Unlike the bulky and heavy tanks of former times, contemporary units are quite compact and often can even be worn like shoulder bags. The corresponding increase in mobility has quite literally changed lives, but for many, even the smallest units can be difficult to carry over the course of a few hours.
Metal carts are easily found and quite common. They’re ugly, though, look flimsy, and aren’t particularly user-friendly. One inventive son came up with this attractive and practical alternative for his mother. The base is a rectangular wooden box with sides just high enough to hold the tank in place. Two sturdy dowels lead from the back of the box to a thicker, horizontal dowel which forms the handle. The wheels are on a simple axle.
The sides of the box drop below the platform so that the cart is stable when upright; it rolls easily whether pushed or pulled. Mom pointed out that the handle was the perfect height for a little support when resting, saying that it felt a lot like having a cane along.
Continue reading ‘DIY - Small, Sleek Cart for Portable Oxygen’
When hands are injured or stiffened or made clumsy by arthritis or other illnesses, it’s easy to lose the capacity to write. Like speaking a foreign language, pen-and-pencil skills tend to remain sharp only to the extent they’re used regularly. Conventional writing tools can be difficult to grip, though, and holding on to them may require so much concentration that the effort to make notes becomes just too much.
Continue reading ‘Ergonomic Pen’
In 2003, famed architect Michael Graves was struck by a serious infection that left him with paraplegia. Graves is widely known in non-architecture circles for his amusing designs for Target; since his illness, he has begun to design disability aids that demonstrate the sense of playfulness evident in his Target collection.
Continue reading ‘Michael Graves Disability Designs’
GearAbility readers who live in the UK might want to tune in to London BBC ‘Inside Out’ this Wednesday , October 17, at 7:30 PM. On the schedule is a mini-documentary featuring Trekinetic, makers of a high-tech wheelchair I’ve written about. I’ve no idea what the BBC will say, or how much the K-2 itself will appear, but if you’re at all curious, you might want to take a look.
Once the show has aired, the rest of us can click here to watch it on the Internet. The program will be available for a week after the original air date. This link is to the London ‘Inside Out’ main page; you may have to scout around a bit to find the exact link for this particular episode.
A group of investors has just launched a website called Disaboom.
Don’t mistake this for a website that has people with disabilities primarily in mind. This is a marketing and investment opportunity, and not a very good one. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this language on the “About” page (the italics are my emphasis):
Disaboom.com is the revolutionary solution to the difficulties faced by an untapped market of more than 650 million adults worldwide living with disabilities
and
the first online company dedicated to providing a comprehensive resource to meet this market’s specific needs with customized expertise.
From the Investors/Overview page:
There are more than 100 million adults worldwide living with disabilities or functional limitations today. Founded and designed by doctors and fellow Disaboomers to meet this untapped market[’s] . . .
I don’t know about you, but I always resent being referred to as “this market”. Disaboom’s backers are ready and willing to serve all those vendors who are already bombarding “this market” in TV ads, through the AARP, online, and in targeted ads in doctors’ offices and lifestyle magazines. Getting that ad revenue will benefit Disaboom’s investors (maybe). What’s not at all clear is how this website will serve actual people who live with disabilities.
Continue reading ‘Disaboom - A Slick, Not-So-Pretty Website Ploy’
For people whose computers are almost an extra appendage, time spent in bed can be frustrating and miserable if it means limiting Internet access. Balancing a laptop on a chest or stomach can overheat the machine, and is terrible for hands and wrists.
Laptop Laidback is made for people who prefer to (or must) use laptops while reclining. The table has a broad, stable stance; a ledge holds the laptop in place. Both angle and height are adjustable, and the unit folds flat for storage or transportation.
According to the site, the legs adjust in 5 degree increments — that’s the kind of fine-tuning that can keep wrists and arms happy.
Click on “Product” from the home page for technical information. You’ll need to scroll down to see the full list of specifications.
Thanks, Paul!
While picking up some things for my dad, I checked out Wal-Mart’s assistive devices section. At our local store, the selection is small, but notable. There’s a basic array of standard canes — all metal, and all under $20.00 (USD), including a common collapsible one. Next to an assortment of cane tips I saw ski-type nylon walker sliders for a walker at around $6.00 (USD) — or about 1/5 the price I’ve seen at medical supply houses.
Continue reading ‘Inexpensive Aids’
The Bridge School, in Hillsborough, California has a specific mission:
The Bridge School is an internationally recognized leader in the education of children who use augmentative and alternative communication and has developed unique programs and trained highly skilled professionals in the use of state of the art assistive technology.
Laudable enough, but there’s something on their website of particular interest to GearAbility readers who care for children who use wheelchairs or walkers. The nifty images you see in this post are costumes cleverly adapted to those devices — just in time for Halloween.
In addition to Aladdin (upper left) and the Punk Rock Drummer (to the right), there are instructions for George of the Jungle, a Flower Garden, a Bulldozer and (many) more.
The page is full of helpful suggestions; click on the images for instructions for each costume. There’s also a .pdf handbook available (though registration is required to access the download).
The Bridge School’s Halloween Costume Page
My dad has had his ups and downs over the past month or so, but his situation is stable for now, and (not incidentally) so is mine. GearAbility is back!
If you travel in a wheelchair, or care for someone who does, you might want to take a look at this website, run by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. You’ll find recommendations for best practices, other suggestions, and detailed information about how to use tie-down straps and locking devices.
