Adaptive and assistive aids are tools that are designed to improve the abilities of people and children with disabilities to help them carry out different activities of their daily life and achieve independence to their best potential. Adaptive tools can be high tech or low tech. High tech assistive aids are usually electric or battery operated. They have complex mechanical feature and could be expensive. For instance, hearing aids, electric wheel chairs, screen reading software etc are all high tech assistive aids. Low tech assistive/adaptive aids are inexpensive and mostly made from low cost and recyclable materials. Unlike high tech aids these are easy to make and can be personalized for each child based on her/his strengths, needs and likes. We can make low tech adaptive sensory toys, educational aids, mobility equipment and many more. It's a great skill that every educator or parent of children with disabilities should have so that they can use anything and everything to make toys/aids that can make the world meaningful and accessible for their little ones.
Here, we are talking about low tech aid- Adapted Furniture that are specially designed for children having varying degrees of motor challenges. The technology is called cardboard carpentry. Our team make such personalized equipment for babies/toddlers to provide greater opportunities for participation and create more chances of independence so as to help them learn and grow at par with children without disabilities.
Here, we are talking about low tech aid- Adapted Furniture that are specially designed for children having varying degrees of motor challenges. The technology is called cardboard carpentry. Our team make such personalized equipment for babies/toddlers to provide greater opportunities for participation and create more chances of independence so as to help them learn and grow at par with children without disabilities.
The Process- from beginning till end
The search for material
The raw material for making such adapted furniture is definitely cardboard- A good strong quality cardboard. It was a major challenge for us as there are not any manufacturers in my city who make such sturdy cardboard. After a lot of search and door-door visits we finally found a manufacturer who understood our requirements and agreed to make some better quality cardboard for us. The final material that we got was still soft and so we thought of using multiple layers to make it tough. It was a successful experiment.
The search for material
The raw material for making such adapted furniture is definitely cardboard- A good strong quality cardboard. It was a major challenge for us as there are not any manufacturers in my city who make such sturdy cardboard. After a lot of search and door-door visits we finally found a manufacturer who understood our requirements and agreed to make some better quality cardboard for us. The final material that we got was still soft and so we thought of using multiple layers to make it tough. It was a successful experiment.
The making
Making such an adapted chair for a child in need is not a one man's job. We are a team of educators, therapists, designer and parents of the children for whom the chairs are made. After thorough observations and assessments, we brainstorm and draw specifications for the furniture. There is no doubt that making such adapted furniture is a time taking and cumbersome process and more challenging for us as we lack the much needed equipment and facilities. Hence, we always have to make the best use of what ever is available and double our efforts in the process. We took a week extra to finish the chairs as it started to rain in my city and the weather got wet that prevented the cardboard from drying and bonding. I should not forget to mention about our Volunteer-Intern Garima Sikdar who helped us in the entire process of making the chairs. With our busy schedules with babies and toddlers, this would not have been possible if she did not step in at that time.
Making such an adapted chair for a child in need is not a one man's job. We are a team of educators, therapists, designer and parents of the children for whom the chairs are made. After thorough observations and assessments, we brainstorm and draw specifications for the furniture. There is no doubt that making such adapted furniture is a time taking and cumbersome process and more challenging for us as we lack the much needed equipment and facilities. Hence, we always have to make the best use of what ever is available and double our efforts in the process. We took a week extra to finish the chairs as it started to rain in my city and the weather got wet that prevented the cardboard from drying and bonding. I should not forget to mention about our Volunteer-Intern Garima Sikdar who helped us in the entire process of making the chairs. With our busy schedules with babies and toddlers, this would not have been possible if she did not step in at that time.
The finished product
We completed the chairs in one month. The adapted chairs are presently used by two infants. The Adapted Chair with foot rest (First and second Picture) helps the child to sit independently and gain control over the neck. The chair has four foot rest adjustments and a slide table (picture unavailable).
The lap chair (the third picture) is used by an infant who is yet to gain upper body control. The chair helps him to sit straight and comfortable during our sessions. The most important aspect of this chair is that it instills a sense of confidence and independence in the child as now he does not come in direct contact with the people who carry him giving him the freedom from unnecessary physical manipulation.
Know About Adaptive Aids and Cardboard Carpentry
I learnt this art a couple of years back while I was undergoing a training in Boston at Perkins School for the Blind and made a short visit to Adaptive Designs, New York. This is an amazing skill through which one can make a lot of adaptive and assisted tools for children with special needs using just cardboard and papers. Write to me if you wish to acquire more knowledge in this regards. However, Alex Truesdell from Adaptive Designs and Molly Campbell from Assistive Device Centre, Perkins School for the Blind are the two best persons on this earth to learn this skill from.
To know more, kindly visit the following websites:
http://www.perkins.org/services/other/assistive-device-center
http://www.adaptivedesign.org/