Swindon
Panel of REMAP
Technical
Equipment for Disabled People
Case Studies
| Sick as a Parrot | This page features examples of some of the equipment provided by the Swindon Panel. For more information on these cases or on the work of the Swindon Panel please contact Swindon_Remap |
For a disabled child in Swindon,
Polly was far more than a toy. Visitors to the house, too
uncomfortable to talk directly to the child, are more than happy
to talk to a plastic parrot! In this way Polly acted as a
sort of ice-breaker, allowing the visitors to talk to the child
through the Parrot. Sadly, it all became too much for Polly
and one day and she fell off her perch!
Luckily for Polly,
Swindon Remap were able to restore her to her former glory. She
once again stands proud on her perch, ready and willing to offer
her translation service to anyone who needs it.
Anyone who has watched a young child trying to use the
standard 'joystick' type controls for a remote controlled car
will know that it can take some getting used to. Where the
child also has to overcome the difficulties of a disability then
the standard controls can become impossible, particularly the
need to co-ordinate the two controls to get the car to turn.
To
make car easier to control Ian, one of the Swindon Panel's
engineers, made up a paddle control device. The large
disc is pivoted at its centre, with four switches positioned
underneath it. Pressing down on the disc causes one or two of the
switches to operate:
Press the front of the disc and the car moves forward,
Press at about 45º around the disc and the car moves forward while turning left.
The finishing touch was to paint the car and the
disc to indicate which direction the car will move when the
correspondingly coloured part of the disc is pressed.
The standard winding handle on top of a bath lift can be difficult to operate if you have limited reach or manoeuverability.
Replacing the original handle with the steering wheel from a scrapped Ford Sierra means that the seat can be raised and lowered by a series of small movements, rather than having to make complete turns of the handle as before.
For a young lady with severe arthritis in her hands
using her preferred brand of furniture polish was impossible.
Due to the design of the can top no suitable adaptor could
be found commercially.
The adaptor that is illustrated here was made from
two short sections of plastic waste pipe which clamp on to the
top of the can. Adjustment is provided by means of a simple
screwed knob on the top. A very light pressure on the
handle operates the aerosol, spraying polish through the cut-out
in the front.
For an elderly lady,
a combination of arthritis in her hands and a general loss of
strength meant that it was becoming more and more difficult to
flush the toilet herself. Instead she was having to rely on her
Daughter or on other carers to do it for her. After considering a
number of ideas, including foot operated pedals, a simple wooden
extension was stuck on to the handle and covered in pipe
insulation material to make it easier to grip.
Satisfied that the idea had worked a new, more permanent version was produced. Some wooden knobs were adapted to provide the new handle with a smarter finish.
For a Swindon
man, getting in and out of his house was a chore. The ramp that
he had been supplied had to extend onto the pavement and so could
not be left down when not in use in case someone tripped over it.
Being made of metal it was far too heavy for his wife to lift
comfortably. The ramp could not be made any shorter or it would
have been too steep to climb in his electric scooter.
A new wooden ramp was made, with an end that could be
folded up when not in use, therefore keeping it out of the way of
people using the pavement. Anyone entering the house on foot are
now faced with a low step. The door to a dustbin cupboard was
also altered to allow it to open with the ramp permanently in
place.
For an elderly lady, arthritis in her hands and a general loss of strength was making it very difficult for her to manoeuver the vacuum cleaner.
The addition of an extra handle, clamped to the upright tube of the standard handle, has overcome the problems.
Once again, the lady can use her vacuum cleaner with ease.
This page is currently under construction.
Further cases will be added shortly.