Card Holder

This Ten Dollar Tech idea comes from De Anna Dickerson. She shared the idea with Sherry Edwards, Director of Information and Assistance at IATP. Thanks De!

It's a card holder. It's so simple and ingenious that IATP staff had to immediately make one (pictured below) Best of all, you probably already have all the materials you'll need to make one...so it's FREE!

Materials:

• 2 buttons
• 2 margarine tub lids (The smaller tubs, usually about 3.5" in diameter.
• Thread
• Needle (Use one of your bigger needles.)

Directions:

• Put the lids together, top to top and lay them on the table.
• Put one of the buttons in the center of the stacked lids.
• With the needle poke two holes through the button holes into the center of the tub lids.
• Now pick it up the stacked items and place the second button over the holes on the back side. Sew together.

You=re done!

Variations:

De suggests that you can use coffee can tops too. They are larger and a little sturdier.

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File Cabinet Adaptation

This is a great adaptation for someone who cannot open the drawers on a file cabinet. It was adapted for an IATP employee, and seems to work very well. Most file cabinets come with horizontal hand pulls. To open the cabinet one must grip the handle from the underside to pull the drawer open. If a person has a weakness or inability to use his/her fingers, it becomes difficult to grip and pull. This idea uses the wrist or hand to pull the drawer open. It is a very simple, inexpensive way to adapt the cabinet for access.

Materials 

• Metal u-shaped handles (see photo to right) that have room for hand or fingers. 
• Washers and nuts to fit each 
• Drill 
• Rope or velcro

Directions 

• Drill a hole vertically above and below the hand pull on each drawer. 
• Place the u-shaped handle vertically over the holes 
• Place a washer and nut over the threaded ends of the screws provided with the handles or you may need to get longer screws. 
• Place the screws from the inside of drawer into the drilled holes and then into the handles, and tighten.

If the users' hand cannot comfortably be placed inside the handle to pull, just tie a piece of robe or put a piece of velcro on the handle with a good loop, and the hand can be placed in the loop and the drawer can be pulled with the strength of the wrist. If the worker needs to lift the files from the cabinet, purchase some multipurpose cable ties long enough to fit into the holes on the file holders and make a loop for the hand to fit into. This makes it easier to lift the files from the cabinet.

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Grippers

Gripping objects that have small diameter handles, like pens, spoons, toothbrushes can be difficult for people with fine motor disabilities. But, there are many ways you can adapt those items so they can be used... and you probably have the items you need to adapt the objects in your home right now.

Here are some objects that you can use to fatten up a device handle and make it easier to hold:

• 35 mm film container
• prescription bottle
• tennis ball
• whiffle golf ball
• tubular foam pipe insulation
• bicycle handle grip
• sponge hair roller
• polymer clay

Hints:

If you are using a prescription bottle, try the various sizes and decide which feels the best. Using a pair of scissors, snip off the safety clasp on the bottle portion. File smooth if necessary.

It's hard to make holes in a tennis ball. Use an exacto knife or punch to start the holes and then use the pointed end of a pair of scissors to widen the opening. (Staff found 20 lower-grade tennis balls, sold as "fun balls," in K-Mart's sports department for $2.00)

If the objects in the film containers or medicine bottle move too much anchor it by placing playdough or modeling clay in the bottom of the container.

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Car Vent Lever

Cilla Sluga, Training Director and TechTalk Editor came up with this Ten Dollar Tech Idea while she was driving from Springfield to Chicago to do a workshop.  She could not get the air conditioner to stop blowing on her because the button  was missing and the vents could not be adjusted.

She stuck a plastic fork into the vent .  It not only moved the horizontal vents away from her, but she was also able to move the vertical vents as well. 

You don't need to stick or glue it to anything, Just jab the tines into the vent and use the fork handle as a lever to move the vents. Its just that simple! It turns those hard-to-grab buttons into levers.

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