Some people with e.g. cerebral palsy are unable to use physical controllers such as buttons and joysticks but are still able to make intentional hand movements. HandShake uses a pair of BBC Micro:bits to enable triggers to be sent to switchable communication software to enable speech to be composed. A trigger is sent to the communications device when the participant moves a hand above an adjustable threshold of acceleration.
A wall mounted adaptation to allow a height impaired person to operate a standard light switch from lower down, without the need for rewiring or use of “smart” lighting.
The client requires eye drops every fifteen minutes but also suffers from severe arthritis and is unable to dispense these herself. To improve her independence and decrease the workload on her husband a device that allowed her to dispense the drops herself was needed.
Child-sized portable voice amplifier for a child with a very soft voice
Client is 18 years old with learning difficulties and uses a profiling bed with a wired controller. His carers need a method to prevent him from misusing the controller.
The special needs school required an outdoor mud kitchen for children in wheelchairs to play. The simple free-standing structure has two table heights to suit different sizes of wheelchairs and provision for storing kitchen utensils.
The client’s reduced strength made it difficult to lift the heavy lids on her Aga kitchen stove.
The client was unable to reach up to close the tailgate of her car. A simple foam-covered hook was made which engages with the door handle.
A Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) school uses a small tractor to tow a powered machine. The speed control lever is mounted on the tractor with plastic pipe clips which allows it to be detached easily when necessary.
A one-handed snooker player required a rest for his cue that could allow him to play his shots, but also be easy to move one-handed about the table.
A wheelchair basketball club frequently damage their wheels and find it difficult and expensive to get them straightened at bicycle repair shops, whose jig are made for bicycles which have different spindles from wheelchairs.
This is the third Squeeze machine Essex North has made. They are all similar being two air mattresses constrained so that a person lying between them will be squeezed once they are inflated to provide a calming effect on the user’s nervous system. The pump for this incarnation is a modified Mangar Bath aid pump. […]
Back pack and half inflated cushion Back pack and shaped foam Back pack with hook in position Back pack in use The client has a protruding shoulder blade as a result of scoliosis which makes it very uncomfortable to sit in most chairs and required a solution that is discrete. He was supplied with two […]
A special needs school wanted to encourage their children to enjoy gardening and needed to make it accessible to wheelchair users. Four plywood flower beds on legs were made.
Existing arrangement New rotating grab handle The existing commercial bed grab handle did not allow the client to maintain a firm grip as he maneuvered out of bed into his wheelchair. The new handle clamps to the side rail of the bed and allows limited rotation to ensure the client has a firm grip as […]
The client found that his wet hands slipped on the floor-to-ceiling poles in his bathroom. Both poles were fitted with paracord whipping over double sided carpet tape to provide a secure hold.
