Jan-Feb-Mar 1999
Mary Friedl of Evanston provides this month's innovation.
Closing a door behind you can be very difficult if you use a wheelchair. The lift in front of Mary's home had a door that had to be closed before the lift would activate. Mary recently switched from a scooter to a wheelchair. When she used a scooter, she simply turned the seat, grabbed a tie attached to the door handle, and pulled the door closed. Now that she uses a wheelchair she had to figure out a new way to get the door closed. . . especially after she checked the cost of electric door openers/closers. She put her mind to work and thought of the following solution.
Materials
3 large eye hooks
8 feet of light rope
1 plastic bangle bracelet
1 Electric drill
Cost: Approximately $5
Directions
Drill holes to install the eye hooks in three separate locations: a. top corner of the door, b. inside top corner of door frame, and c. center of door frame.
Tie one end of the rope to the hook on the door.
Thread it through the hook on the top door frame.
Now thread through the eye hook on the center of the frame.
Attach a bracelet or other handle (whatever suits your hand grasping skills best) to the end of rope. As you go through the doorway, pull the handle to close the door behind you.
Variation
If you are unable to pull a door closed you can attach an "S" hook to the rope by closing one end of the "S" to secure it to the rope. Using the other end of the "S" as a hook, attach it to your wheelchair. The chair can pull the door closed as you move forward. To continue, back up a bit and unlatch the hook. (The length of rope may need to be adjusted.)
April-May-June 1999
After talking to thousands of people over 10 years, IATP staff members have heard many good ideas. We compiled this month's Ten Dollar Tech from people who wanted to share their own "inventions" with us.
Do you have a hard time gripping pencils, toothbrushes, spoons, forks and other small objects?
Most of the time, building up the handle to make it easier to hold will do the trick. You can buy devices with larger gripping surfaces. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Even the discount stores like K-Mart and Wal-Mart carry large barrel pens and cooking utensils that have enlarged handles.
However, you do not have to buy new items. You may have things in your home to help you adapt those pens, utensils and toothbrushes. Here are a few ideas.
Modeling clay. Simply mold it around a skinny grip handle. Make a shape that is comfortable for you. Let it dry and use. There are many plastic resins on the market today that work even better.
Pipe insulation: Cut to desired length and slip the utensil handle through.
Foam hair rollers. You know, those little pink rollers that have been around for ages? Just remove the plastic fastener from the foam. It leaves a good narrow tunnel in the foam where you can insert the handle of most small gadgets. It makes a soft easy gripper.
Rubber ball or a tennis ball. Push a sharp object through the middle creating a hole to insert the utensil. Need something large? Use a larger ball.
Rubber band. Put the instrument so it sits comfortably in your hand, the way you hold it best. Then take a rubber band and loop it around the top of the "doohickey." Stretch band over the back of your hand and loop it round the device at the bottom. The rubber band holds it nicely in place. This works especially well for pens.
Velcro. Make a strap that goes around your hand with eye part of the Velcro. Attach a section of the hook Velcro to the object.
Bicycle handle grips. Using the air hole in the end, push an object through it. You may have to widen the opening with an Exacto knife for some instruments.
A 35 mm film container. Cut a small "X" in the lid and bottom of the canister. Shove the gadget through it.
Masking tape, saran wrap, rubber erasers, small sponges can also make great grippers for some people.
What else? Only our imagination limits us. Challenge yourself to look around your home today and adapt your "stuff" to make it easier to use.
Sherry Edwards, Director of Information and Assistance, thought up this idea.
Here's a low-cost way to provide a writing guide for someone who has a visual or fine motor disability. The guide can help them stay within the lines of a writing tablet or write in a straight line.
Materials
Bright or dark color of card stock weight paper.
Ruler
Pen or pencil
Exacto or Utility Knife
Directions
Place sheet of card stock on flat surface. Use a color that will create contrast between the writing surface and guide.
Use ruler and measure one half inch from left side of card stock at top and bottom and mark with a dot. Do the same on the right side.
Place ruler along both dots and draw a line connecting from top to bottom.
Then place markings on this line from top of page as follows:
a. Measure _" from top and mark. Now mark 2" below that, then 3 " from that mark, and mark again.
b. Complete the rest of page marking first 2" and then 3"
until marks are approximately 2" from bottom of page.
Follow same procedure for right side.
Starting with the top dots, lay ruler horizontally (dot to dot) and draw a horizontal lines connecting them.
Continue same procedure down the page. The page should have horizontal lines with top line measuring _" from top of page and all other lines following the 2 ", then 3" the rest of the way down the page.
At the second horizontal line, use an Exacto/box cutting, or utility knife and ruler to cut out a rectangle using the lines as a guide.
You can reinforce the guide by taping the horizontal slats. You can also create templates for check guides, time sheets, or any other form.
Skip the next line and follow same procedure until you reach the last line.
This idea comes from an intern who spent time with us last semester. Sherry Edwards, Director of Information and Assistance, did the research on this project.
Parallel bars provide excellent exercise for the upper body. It also can give people the support they need as they rebuild lower extremity strength. However, the price may have scared you off if you've checked into purchasing a set. Commercially available parallel bars range in price from $600 to $3000+. This project costs less than $150 (cheaper if you use alternate materials).
Materials and Cost (The price list is from Ace Hardware in Springfield. Prices may vary.)
1 - 7 ft. solid core wood door (old used door)--new about $40.00
3 - 10 ft. pieces 1" galvanized water pipe at $15.79 each
4 - 1" galvanized T's at $4.79 each
4 - 1" galvanized floor flanges at $5.49 each
4 - 1" galvanized caps at $4.49 each
16-3/8" bugle head bolts
16 - nuts to fit bolts
Power drill, ratchet set, wrench
Total cost: approximately $150.00
Directions
1. Have the hardware store cut the pipes so you have the following lengths and have them threaded for the T and flange ($0.60 for each thread.
4 - 12" sections
2 - 54" sections
4 - 36" sections
2. Have the pipes threaded to fit the thread in the T's and floor flanges.
Assembly
Start at the top and work your way down or you'll have trouble connecting all the pieces.
Attach a T section to each end of the 54" pipe.
Attach the 36" pipe piece to the bottom opening of each T.
Thread and tighten the flanges onto the bottom of the vertical pipe.
Have someone hold one railing stable and mark the bolt locations on the door.
Predrill holes for bolts.
Turn the door over and drill a ½" wide, ½" deep section in each hole to recess the bolt.
Fasten the flanges to the door using the bugle head bolts.
Tightly screw the 12' pipe sections into the outside ends of the T.
Cap each end.
Duplicate these directions for the other side of door.
Variations
Cover the door with a vinyl runner or indoor/outdoor carpeting before attaching the pipes to it.
Use PVC pipe instead of the galvanized pipe.
Use thick plywood or particle board instead of a door.
Double the length by putting two doors end to end and attaching securely.
You may need to add a center vertical support depending on the strength of your materials.
Use a larger diameter pipe if necessary.
Pad and wrap pipes with foam and vinyl or other combination of materials.
