Low Tech Assistive Tech

The challenge is to go into a store like the Dollar Store, or Walmart and find items that can be re-purposed to serve as an assistive technology for a person with some physical challenge.  Ken Pon and I spent a rainy Sunday morning wandering the aisles of Walmart, looking for creative uses for common objects.

Item 1: Thick glue
This can be used in a multitude of ways as discussed in class.  When it dries, it can serve as a raised line for people with visual impairments (colour inside the line, feel a letter etc).  But I wanted to talk about using it in a different way.  In my classroom, we took glue like this, and poured it into a zip-lock bag (and sealed it very well).  when the bag is then laid flat, you can draw on the glue with your finger, or with a q-tip.  This pushes the glue out of the way, and reveals the desk (paper, box, canvas etc.) behind the bag. What you get is a means of practising letters or drawing which can be erased simply by wiping the bag clear and starting again.



Item 2: Luggage Strap
A strap such as this is great for keeping your luggage together.  For our students with challenges which may limit their ability to hold multiple items such as text books, the student can use a strap to hold their books together.  In school today, students often are not carrying their large backpack from class to class.  They hold a textbook or two together, along with their binder that they need for the class.  By creating one single stack of books held together by a strap the student can carry a single item, rather than a series of smaller items which may be dropped more easily.






Item 3: Frisbee 

This Frisbee is sold for very cheap. The reason I like it, is that it has raised edges.  This can be used as a plate for a student who struggles to use both hands to eat with a knife and fork.  If non-stick pads (or a mat) were used to prevent the Frisbee from sliding on the table, a student would be able to scoop up food by pushing it towards the edge of the plate, and using the wall to stop the food from going further.

Item 4: Stress Ball 

This stress ball can be used as a pencil grip for a student with low mobility, and poor grip strength.  The pencil can be inserted through the ball, and a entire ball can be held.  This can be used to hold a pencil, a crayon, a marker, any writing device.  It could also be used to hold utensils for eating, in conjunction with the Frisbee plate above.

Item 5: Art Canvas
The canvas is a material that can be drawn or painted on.  When you turn the canvas over, you get an area where a student with low motor control can use manipulatives such as centicubes.  The raised edge of the wooden frame create a neat working area which will contain any things that might be knocked to the side. Students don't need to worry about things being knocked onto the floor, or into the working area of neighbouring students.  The canvas can be drawn on to create a graphic organiser such as a Venn Diagram or a place-value chart for students who have repeated tasks or practise in subjects like math.

Item 6:Fanny Pack
A Fanny Pack is very useful as a pencil case, or a kit box.  It can also be used to carry items that are needed very quickly such as an Epi-Pen.  EPA and Teacher can carry a fanny pack to ensure that that they have the necessary things for a particular student.  This may include options for a social story, or rewards for when the student is doing well.  Gloves and hand sanitiser may also be good objects to keep in such a portable container.

Item 7: Rug Hook
A rug hook is used to pull yarn through a material to make several small loops.  By repeating this process several times, the loops can be made to form a rug.  I thought this item would be great for helping to tighten shoe laces.  There are laces which stay tight once they are pulled.  They have a spiral to them that does not pull through the eyes of the shoe easily.  The hook on this could be used to pull the lace tight in the first place, for a person with low dexterity. the person could  use a shoe horn to help get their foot into the shoe, then pull the lace with the hook.

Item 8: Baby Cubes

These are large cubes for freezing puree baby food.  These would be good for a person who struggles to open small containers.  Some of our students take multiple pills in a day, and these containers would be able to hold all the pills a person might take. S/he could use the set to keep track of their pills for the week.

Item 9: Shoe Horn
Some of our students have issues in their wrist, either caused by a mild spasticity or a weakness.  A shoe horn is a comfortable cradle that the arm, wrist and palm of the hand can sit in to keep them in line.  This would then allow someone to write more comfortably, focusing more on the fine motor control of the fingers, rather than supporting their wrist.

Item 10: Hair Scunchie
This item is thick and springy.  It is used to help support the hair, to wear in a bun.  It also fits rather nicely into the palm of the hand.  It provides some mild resistance for grip exercise, and provides a pleasant scratching sensation to the palm which may serve as a sensory input devise for someone who enjoys that form of  soothing.  It is easier to squeeze than a traditional stress ball, but would have a similar sensation, so may suffice for someone with less strength.




Having spent the morning searching for items that can be repurposed, I am struck by the practicality of the exercise.  I believe that many of these items are for sale on their own, but they may be cost prohibitive.  Reusing things that you have at home, or things that are available at a discount store such as Dollarama, or Walmart, may open the door to allow students with physical limitations to access the world in new and exciting ways.  It is difficult to predict what the needs of any one person may be, but with a little ingenuity, one can certainly fashion a suitable assistive piece in a very short period of time, without spending a lot of money.