What are Disability Aids?

posted on Jan 19 by Brian in the Disability News, Healthcare, Technology, Wheelchair Accessibility, Wheelchair Accessible Vans category

Disability aids are a wider range of assistive technology designed to assist any area of difficulty as the result of a disability or injury. Everyday tasks such as reaching a dish off the top shelf or using silverware can prove impossible to a disabled person to do independently without disability aids. These aids assist the disabled in every aspect of life from activities of daily living to driving.

Mobility aids are the largest genre of disability aids. These aids range from a simple cane to high tech power wheelchairs that can move in any direction. Some examples of mobility aids are canes, crutches, walkers, power chairs, manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters, walkers with resting seats, forearm crutches, transport chairs, standers assistance poles, standers bed standing assist and couch assist, lift chairs, powered chair seat lifts, and car assist bars. You can look at our list of the top ten gifts for wheelchair users for ideas about the kinds of disability aids available.

Mobility aids also include wheelchair vans. Wheelchair docks that secure the wheelchair in place, hand controls allowing wheelchair users to drive, wheelchair straps, power and manual wheelchair lifts, transfer seats, and wheelchair ramps.

Tasks around the home are more easily accomplished for a disabled person with disability aids like foam tubing that can be attached to silverware, pots and pans, and anything a disabled person has trouble grasping. “Reachers” act as an extension of a wheelchair user’s arm with a claw on one end controlled by a lever at the end the user is holding to grasp items that would otherwise be out of reach.

The bathroom can be a world of challenges for a disabled person. Items like raised toilet seats, walk in showers, non slip flooring, and transfer systems that use a sling style seat that runs on a track installed on the ceiling to move a person directly from the wheelchair into the bath or shower help a disabled person accomplish tasks able bodied people take for granted. Metal bars bolted to the wall beside the toilet assist a mobility-challenged individual to lower onto and get up from the toilet and lowered sinks with extended bowls allow a wheelchair user to do tasks such as wash their hands and brush their teeth directly from their wheelchair.

Disability aids are essential for the independent disabled individual to function throughout the day. Assistive technology continues to be a ground breaking field with continued research and development from modern power wheelchairs that allow the user to reach a semi standing position to a simple grip that fits in your pocket that will bear the weight of a person to assist them in entering and exiting a vehicle.