GADGETS / ADAPTATIONS AVAILABLE FOR THE DISABLED

Hi, I am a full time carer for my daughter who has Downs syndrome and we both struggle with the following:-

plastic underneath caps of milk bottles - if someone could invent a simple to remove seal for milk bottles and the like, ketchup, squeezy honey, yoghurt tops, etc., or maybe we could start a petition to bring back the local milkman delivering in bottles which would not only create jobs, but be better for the environment by recycling glass. Sometimes the old ways are the best.

Electric can openers are a great.

I have a little gadget that you can use to slip under the tin can pull, without breaking nails? and then a hook that pulls if up and off the can, this is great for me as I have no longer any grip or strength in my fingers.

I have a few gadgets that are supposed to release air from glass jars to enable me to unscrew the tops but they don't always work, which is very frustrating as I use a lot of jars, honey, marmite, coffee, etc

Hope this helps.

Large button phones. Knives with handles at right angles to blades. Scissors with easier return. Proper non slip shower mat. Grips on wall for shower. Rails at outside doors to hold to make it easier for me to balance going up/down the 2 steps. Contraption which enables kettle to be tilted to pour boiling water for a cuppa or add boiling water as needed without lifting weight of kettle. Easy openers for jars

What I call my long arm - to enable me to pick items beyond my easy reach or floor to save me moving too much.

Sock enabler. Leg lifter to help get leg into car/bed. Long shoehorn.

Easy grip for writing implement

Easy grip for cutlery. Combined spoon/fork/knife which does cut.

Need something to easily dry wheels on wheelchair/buggy/walker when coming in from salty/icy/wet conditions

Easy tap turners

Clothes/shoes with easy closures without looking too bulky.

That's a few to start

Wow, thank you, that is THE best website I've seen, I'll be busy looking at it today!

You are welcome! It is excellent and you get VAT relief on most items. x

@geek84

Hi yes I do have an electric can opener but never thought to use it when there is a ring pull! Doh!

1. Types of Disabilities

• Physical Disabilities: Mobility issues (e.g., wheelchair users, amputees).
• Visual Impairments: Blindness or low vision.
• Hearing Impairments: Deafness or hearing loss.
• Cognitive Impairments: Autism, intellectual disabilities, dementia.
• Speech Impairments: Challenges in communication.

2. Existing Gadgets & Adaptations

• Mobility: Motorized wheelchairs, exoskeletons, stairlifts, and ramps.
• Vision: Screen readers, smart glasses, braille displays, audio books.
• Hearing: Hearing aids, captioning, vibrating alarms, sign language apps.
• Cognitive: GPS apps, smart home devices, reminder apps.
• Speech: Augmentative communication devices, speech-generating tools.

3. Areas for Innovation

• Smart Prosthetics: Custom, functional prosthetic limbs.
• Brain-Computer Interfaces: Control devices with thoughts.
• AI-Driven Tools: Adaptive hearing aids or visual assistance.
• Robotic Assistance: Robots for daily tasks.
• Accessible Transportation: Innovations in self-driving cars for accessibility.

4. Steps to Proceed

• Research: Review current technologies and gaps in the market.
• Survey: Talk to disabled individuals about their challenges.
• Collaborate: Work with experts like therapists and disability organizations.
• Prototype: Develop and test new ideas with real users.
• Funding: Look into grants for innovation in accessibility.

By exploring existing tools and identifying needs, your nephew can contribute to making life easier for disabled individuals.

My autism includes a very severe navigational disability, and GPS is absolutely useless to me because I cannot follow directions and often cannot orientate correctly, especially in the dark. I rely on public transport unless someone is with me in my local area - sometimes I get lost even going around my local neighbourhood, because I lose my bearings. I also become lost inside shopping centres and often have to stop and recalibrate to find the bus station after work, although it's a five minute walk at best. This is extremely limiting and not helped by a very poor local bus service.

I often get people suggesting to me I should 'just use GPS'. I have tried, but it really doesn't help in the slightest. It's not designed to help people with navigational disabilities. It's designed to help non-disabled people track unfamiliar routes.

I mention this because a lot of 'gadgets' used for autism are not actually designed to help autistic people and thus have negligible benefits depending on the autistic person concerned. (Some people will find them more useful than others, but there's a danger of assuming they're helpful when often they're not).