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.