#adaptive aids

[clatterbane]

Also reminded, one little Actual Accessibility Lifehack that I had to share!

r/Coffee - Use tennis over-grips if hand grinding is uncomfortable

701 votes and 100 comments so far on Reddit

I hand grind for espresso every morning and it can get pretty physical. I’ve had wrist problems in the past and after pulling a couple doubles I feel a good deal of discomfort hand grinding for espresso shots. I got tennis over grips and wrapped 3 of them around my 1zpresso JE-Plus. You can find them at any sports equipment store, they’re cheap, and better yet non-adhesive so they can be removed or replaced without any cleaning. This has made it a lot easier when I need to dial in with tighter grinds or lighter roasts. The body of the grinder doesn’t slip in my hand and I don’t need to squeeze so hard.

Sounded worth a try, so I just bought the first cheap pack of overgrips that I saw on sale. Somehat belatedly embracing my inner '80s kid! (Must say I was never really that into the color scheme when neon was absolutely everywhere. 😅) Plus a little piece of electrical tape to hold the end down. Very stylish!

Working great so far, and this approach should be useful for some other things. Between my bitchy bendy joints and the treatment-induced neuropathy in my hands? Grabbing/holding onto all kinds of hard surfaces can get awkward and painful as hell really quick these days!

One overlapping layer seems to be enough for my needs right now, but yeah YMMV with how much to use.

Wouldn't have thought to look to sporting goods for this kind of solution on my own, so thought I would pass the suggestion along.

[a-spectacular-pigeon]

Question for the disabled community: does anyone have any recommendations for kitchen aids for someone who has trouble lifting things? I’m not really sure what kind of thing I should be looking for here.

[yvonnerknight]

Workout Friday

[yvonnerknight]

Simple Remote Hack

I usually use Dycem to keep things from slipping, like remotes and plates.  Dycem works great,  but eventually loses its sticky.  I use Duralock Velcro,  when I do not have any Dycem.  I also use Duralock to mount my cell phone.

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[yvonnerknight]

My Gimp Survival kit

My Gimp Survival kit

I think most disable people should have these items on hand.  Velcro one wrap, dura loc Velcro.  Velcro one wrap is great for making loops and cuffs;  dura loc Velcro is great for adhering things to a flat surface.  Loc Line is a flexible material and cheap.

                                                                                                                                              View On WordPress

[bluegalaxycollectionme]

Keeping Up with Technology No Matter Your Age

Seniors traditionally are uncomfortable with change. They resent products and services disappearing and morphing into newer versions or eliminated altogether. For this group it also comes at a time when their synapses might not fire as quickly, memory is becoming harder to retain and even focus takes more effort. The Baby Boomers have been using technology for the last 30 years but did not grow…

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[creativemode]

Commercially available adaptive aids rarely work for pediatrics. I made these 3 tools to help with the difficult task of buttoning pants. Two of them are modifications to existing aids available: the button hook and the zipper pull. The third one (to my knowledge) is my own design, for these purposes I will call it the loop hook.

Primary task limitations: unable to reach button, difficulty pinching/grasping, and decreased upper extremity/grasp strength

Initially, I wanted to combine all tools into one, but it worked better for this client to use all 3 separately. I formed a triangle handle, a T-handle, and another handle that looked like an anchor. The T-handle worked the best for her. I was also trying to make it as compact as possible. I formed all of them out of Aquaplast pellets, but continually had to reheat them to make them longer. I used binder clips and heavy duty paper clips to form the metal parts. I used pliers to bend them.

For the button hook, I kept the shape of the large heavy duty paper clip because it seemed to work better with jean buttons. 

For the zipper hook, I added a straight piece of metal to help with pushing the zipper down. This piece needed to be bent on the inside of the plastic or it fell out. 

The loop hook was formed by bending a binder clip and was used for 3 purposes. When the client was zipping the zipper up, they used the loop hook to stabilize the pants at the bottom as they were unable to reach that far down. They also used it simultaneously with the buttonhook. For unbuttoning, the loop hook would hook onto the button hole and would help pull the button hole away from the button, as the button hook pulled in the opposite direction. When buttoning, the button hook would go through the button hole first, attach to the button, then the loop hook would hook onto the button hole, both tools would be pulled in opposite directions, and “voila!” pants are buttoned. Sounds confusing, but the client picked up on it right away. :)

Future implications: 3D printing could make some of these individualized adaptations quick and easy. Contact me if you’re interested in collaborating.

[creativemode]

I’m trying to work on utensil grasp patterns with a kiddo. My intention with these aids is not for them to use always, but to use them as tactile and visual cues on how to place their hands on the fork and knife in a more effective way. 

I made a triangle handle for a knife using Aquaplast. I formed the triangle using a cast cutting strip, which was just the right width I was looking for. I always try to find objects which can facilitate the form that I’m shaping. In this case I wrapped the knife in place using athletic tape to form a triangle. I formed the Aquaplast around it. Before it completely hardened again I removed it and massaged out any bumps. I placed 3/8″ open cell blue padding on the inside back wall and closed off the end of it to allow the knife to slide in and out.

For the fork, I melted Aquaplast pellets to form a place for the index finger to rest and attached a built up foam handle. 

I’m hoping that these tools will assist visually, tactilely and facilitate the development of the arches of the hand.