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Equipment for the Disabled to Help With Everyday Life

Equipment that helps disabled people with the activities of everyday life is known as adaptive equipment. Adaptive equipment is necessary to make daily tasks easier for the permanently or temporarily disabled; it also helps make them comfortable in their surroundings. Some of this equipment may require home modifications, depending on the degree and type of disability involved.

  1. Equipment for Physical Disabilities

    • A wide range of adaptive equipment is available to help the physically disabled. Manual or motorized wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps, indoor stair lifts and wheelchair lifts for vehicles help those that have poor or no lower-body function. Motorized scooters aid people with more indoor mobility who need help getting around outdoors. Walkers help people who are mobile but need extra help with walking. Safety bars and shower chairs are examples of bathroom equipment for the physically disabled. Depending on the severity of the disability, feeding equipment, such as spouted feeding cups or utensils with special handles, also provide help.

    Aids for Visual Disabilities

    • For people who are blind or have low vision, a variety of adaptive aids improve everyday life. Canes and mobility aids such as walkers help the visually impaired get around. The blind can take advantage of tools that incorporate Braille, including watches, games, rulers, and displays that translate computer screen data into Braille. Talking devices, including clocks, watches and cooking utensils, are available, as well as voice-recognition software for the computer that translates spoken words into typed words.

    Help for Hearing Impairments

    • People who are deaf or hearing-impaired have the choice of many helpful aids. Telephone and door signalers flash a nearby lamp when incoming calls come in or the doorbell is pushed. Smoke alarms with strobe lights, alarm clocks that shake the bed and closed caption decoders for the television all allow hearing-impaired people cope with everyday life. Tele-Typwriters enable them to communicate over the telephone by translating typed messages into a sound-based code.

    Equipment for Mental Disabilities

    • People with mental handicaps may need adaptive equipment to help them physically, such as wheelchairs and feeding equipment. Mentally handicapped children benefit from multisensory equipment, in which they learn from different sensory experiences in a trustful environment free of pressure. Computer programs are available that educate mentally handicapped adults and children and teach them basic computer skills. Computerized and automated dining devices, audio-prompting devices or video-instruction materials help mentally handicapped people learn life skills, stay on task and successfully complete daily tasks.

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