Pages

▼

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Do It Yourself Directions

School districts and educational agencies are feeling the economic crisis in painful ways.  Doing your own adaption can save valuable resources for other things.  Often times self-adapted items work as well or better than commercial items.

Additionally making adaptions to items can be a create way to build community during a professional development day.  Gather items you may need for adaptions and store in a central location, then you can grab it and get together with colleagues for an afternoon of purposeful fun.

Adaption Toolbox Items
  • craft, hot and crazy glue (plus glue gun)
  • various kinds of tape
  • sticky tack
  • scissors
  • soldering iron, solder
  • notching file
  • clamps
  • tacks
  • brads
  • dollar store items (things from the toy, craft, kitchen goods and hardware aisles)
  • "junk drawer" items
  • allen wrenchs
  • screw drivers and screws in all sizes
  • hammer and nails in all sizes
  • assorted nuts and bolts
  • cable ties
  • velcro
  • goo gone (or similar)
  • disinfectingwipes/alcohol based sanitizer
  • x-acto knife or similar
  • sandpaper
  • staples and stapler/staple gun
  • foam core board
  • contact paper
  • epoxy
  • switch componets, wire, speakers, assorted electronics
  • PVC Pipe
  • Triwall Cardboard
  • Loc-Line
  • first aid kit
Here are directions to make various adaptations for your students.

School Tools
Activities of Daily Living
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Switches/Switch Accessible
Leisure/Play
Academic Helpers
CVI Interventions
Helpful Information
at

6 comments:

  1. KazSeptember 25, 2011 at 1:05:00 PM EDT

    I found the information you posted in the “Do It Yourself Directions” is very interesting and useful. I agree with your comments that creating your own self-adapted items is sometimes economical and suitable for a certain individual since you can customize it. Since I am Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist, I often provide assistive technology product information to people such as instructors, rehabilitation counselors, parents, and individuals with special needs. However, I always find that adaptive toys and assistive technology devices an software are very expensive. I sometimes just make my own and track its cost for me if I make my own. I am planning to post additional information later to your site. Please let me know you how far back you normally read your old postings.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KazSeptember 25, 2011 at 1:28:00 PM EDT

    I found the information you posted in the “Do It Yourself Directions” is very interesting and useful. I agree with your comments that creating your own self-adapted items is sometimes economical and suitable for a certain individual since you can customize it. Since I am Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist, I often provide assistive technology product information to people such as instructors, rehabilitation counselors, parents, and individuals with special needs. However, I always find that adaptive toys and assistive technology devices an software are very expensive. I sometimes just make my own and track its cost for me if I make my own. I am planning to post additional information later to your site. Please let me know you how far back you normally read your old postings. Kaz

    ReplyDelete
  3. KateSeptember 25, 2011 at 1:31:00 PM EDT

    I get an email any time someone posts on my blog, so comment away and I will see it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KazSeptember 25, 2011 at 3:05:00 PM EDT

    I appreciated your reply, Kate. I am still new to blog. Do you allow readers to upload a picture or files in the comment section?

    ReplyDelete
  5. KateSeptember 25, 2011 at 3:09:00 PM EDT

    You can cut and paste text or place a link to files. Or you can post text and files to the Intensive SPED resources wiki (which I also write). You can't directly post files here. You can also email me files and I will put on the wiki.

    ReplyDelete
  6. KazOctober 21, 2011 at 3:06:00 PM EDT

    I am planning to post additional information, but I am posting an adaptation example or (a do-it-yourself example) that I made for one person.

    Materials used: a standard mouse, a plastic hair band from a Dollar Store

    Tools used: a candle, a glue gun

    Approx. cost: a cost of standard mouse $10-15 plus $1

    I used a candle to soften a plastic hair band while using a vitamin bottle cap to form the curve and a hot melt glue gun to attach it on the mouse.

    This adaptation is made for a right-handed person who cannot hold a standard mouse in a conventional way. If a person has a tremor, it seems to help the user to hold and place his finger. At the same time, it prevents pressing both buttons at the same time.

    Here is the link of the picture, http://www.atpdc.org/images/adaptive_mouse_hairband_resized.jpg

    ReplyDelete

Comments and respectful discussion are welcome and encouraged! No advertisements or spamming.