Environmental Controls

One thing that UCAT has come to specialize in, are Environmental Controls. Environmental controls allow individuals with a variety of abilities to do exactly that.... Control their environment. From something as simple as controlling a television with a button, sip and puff or with voice, to controlling lights, heat, air conditioning, dvd player, telephone, door openers, fans, appliances, and almost anything that can be thought of. We have a great demonstration board that we set up and take around showing groups what is available. It is one of the true joys of my job in giving individuals the ability to control their environment. To give someone the ability to simply change the channel on their TV is a huge feeling of independence for some so they can watch what they want and not have to ask a family member or attendant to do it for them. We typically use x-10 controls to give individuals control of lights and appliances. With a palm pad and some modules, I often go into a home and within half an hour and less than $100.00 we can give someone the ability to turn on a couple lights throughout their house and a fan or heater.

A couple of years ago a client got a grant for an imperium environmental control unit. The morning we were heading out to set it up for him, his mother told us that the KSL might be there.

Utah Center for Assistive Technology - UCAT Kent Remund

Helmet for Self-Injurous Behavior

We were contacted by a Group Home that had a 30 year old man with severe mental disabilities which had some self-injurious behaviors. A couple times per week he would get upset and he would start slamming his head into the ground usually ending up in a bloody face or stitches. Typically the staff would jump on top of him and try to restrain him from harming himself which would only agitate him more and made it difficult for him to stop.
Through some brain storming we came up with an idea of a helmet that would protect him from harming himself when he does experience this behavior. We needed to create something that would allow him total protection of his face while allowing the staff to easily put this on him during his fits of rage.

We chose to purchase a street motorbike helmet and modify it.

We cut the helmet up the side and attached a hinge at the top that would allow the helmet to open up wide enough to get it over his head easily.

The buckles on the side allowed the helmet to latch shut when the helmet was closed. Staff would get on his back while he was headbanging and could put the front of the helmet over his face and then shut the back portion of the helmet to close it. We installed some ABS plastic over the face shield for added protection and also to create a dark environment for him that would help him calm down to stop the headbanging. Instead of three or four staff members jumping on him to restrain him (and possibly injuring themselves), one person was able to get this on his head very quickly and then let him bang until he settled down. The combination of the darkness and that he was not causing pain to himself greatly shortened the amount of time that he continued his behavior and almost completely eliminated any injury to himself.

Kent Remund, UCAT

Electric Train Controller

A local pastor in the area builds electric train sets for children who he feels could benefit from the joy of playing with the trains. He contacted us asking if we could design a way for a boy with only head movement to control the train. One of my good friends Mel Torrie is owner of an amazing company that builds autonomous vehicles and robotic devices. Autonomous Solutions has some engineers that volunteer their time to create projects using their electrical and engineering skills. They have put together a local chapter of volunteers under the Tetra Society and complete projects in Utah and the intermountain west.
To allow control of the train, they created a voltage regulated box that was controlled by sipping and puffing into a tube. One puff would move the train forward with a range of 10 puffs to control the desired speed . A sip in the tube would slow the train down and/or put the train in reverse. Tetra put a story about it in their publication the GIZMO.




Utah Center for Assistive Technolgoy - TETRA Utah Chapter - Autonomous Solutions. Kent Remund

Horizontal Work Station

Situation:
A 31-year-old female who is quadriplegic and experiences severely low blood pressure is required to remain in a prone position 95 percent of the time. Sitting up slightly or rolling over often caused her to black out as a result of her low blood pressure. She spent most of her time in bed as a result of this. Our goal was to provide her the highest potential for productivity that included means of accommodating her need to be lying prone for long periods, and to perform functional tasks in this position.
Accommodation:
To accomplish this goal we created a short table that she could lay on in the prone position to accomplish a number of tasks mainly working on a laptop, reading and writing. We made the frame from unistrut approximately 16 inches tall. Upon that we created a padded base that had two areas cut out to allow her arms to lower through. We also purchased a massage table head support which she would rest her head on and could see down to the work area below. This head support allowed for different positioning for the most comfortable position, allowing her to work in this position for up to 6 hours at a time.

What is Asisstive Technology?

Assistive or Adaptive Technology commonly refers to "...products, devices or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that are used to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities...", according to the definition proposed in the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

Assistive Technology products can enable people with disabilities to accomplish daily living tasks, assist them in communication, education, work or recreation activities, in essence, help them achieve greater independence and enhance their quality of life.

Assistive Technology devices can help improve physical or mental functioning, overcome a disorder or impairment, help prevent the worsening of a condition, strengthen a physical or mental weakness, help improve a person's capacity to learn, or even replace a missing limb. Assistive Technology Services support people with disabilities or their caregivers to help them select, acquire, or use adaptive devices. Such services include functional evaluations, training on devices, product demonstration, and equipment purchasing or leasing.

Utah Center for Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology

I feel that I have the perfect job. If I were to create the perfect job it would entail everything that I currently do for my job (except the paperwork) . I have a great deal of flexibility in managing my own work and clients. Each day I am able to aid people in different ways to different degrees in allowing them to gain or maintain independence in their lives. I am able to use my creative skills to take a problem that someone might be having and figure out a solution. Most of the things I or other members of UCAT do are not brilliant, we are just able to think outside the box (I know cliche') to figure out a solution. For example, I was contacted by some physical therapists that had been working with a mother with cerebral palsy. She had a 6 month old son and was able to buckle him in his car seat but did not have the dexterity to release the buckle to get him out. The PT's had been working on finding a solution for a couple months and thought they would call us. I went into the house and had her show me what movements and hand strength she did have to see what solution we could find. I ran down to Home Depot and purchased a $6.00 C-clamp vice grip that would allow for an adjustable opening. I handed the tool to her and told her to put it on the buckle and squeeze the handle. Problem was solved in half an hour with a $6.00 off the shelf tool. To the mother it meant everything. She wouldnt have to knock on the neighbors door and ask them to unbuckle her child.
I have been meaning to create a website that would document some of our projects with pictures and descriptions of assistive technology that we have created at UCAT. Creating a website was such a time consuming job that I never got around to creating one. I figured that a blog that would allow for text, pictures and video would be a perfect place to document our projects and in hopes that people needing similar solutions to problems might find us through an internet search and spark some of their own ideas.