with Julie Swanson

Dedicated to the everyday needs of children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities. 

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iBOT:  A Revolutionary Mobility Device

If you want to be introduced to the wonderful world of assistive technology (AT), you must visit The New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Marketplace in Hartford - a one-stop-shop for AT resources.  I was lucky enough to attend NEAT's  Total Access for Everyone Now! Expo on Friday,  April 8.  The expo featured hundreds of helpful low tech and high tech products that help a wide variety of people with disabilities from vendors all over the country.    

Among the latest technological wonders featured at the expo was the ibot, a revolutionary mobility device that allows you to climb up stairs and talk and travel at eye level, among other incredible features.  While the ibot is not appropriate for all people, it is a mobility system that empowers the user with unprecedented levels of self-reliance and accessibility.  


To learn more about the ibot, click here www.ibotnow.com

To learn more about Neat Marketplace, click here www.neatmarketplace.org  To learn more on The Total Accces Now Expo! click on "Event Schedule" and "Expos"

To view or purchase the following low tech assistive technology devices seen on the segment:

Visual Recipes: A Cookbook for Non-Reader click here www.difflearn.com and seclect "books" then "special needs"

Card Shuffler, Low Vision Playing Cards and holer click here www.disabilityproducts.com

Pencil grips:  www.southpawenterprises.com

Other vendors at the Expo included:

www.visiondynamics.com

www.ride-away.com

www.fidelco.org

www.servicedogsinternational.org

www.dancingdots.com

www.boundlessplaygrounds.org

www.ementerprises.com

For a list of all vendors, go to www.neatmarketplace.org


Inspiring Inventions by Kids

Cassidy Goldstein was 11 years old when she discovered she had a problem coloring with her broken crayons.  Due to her weak hand grasp, she wasn't able hold the broken pieces of crayon.  Cassidy's solution?  Create an adaptive crayon holder to make the crayon easier to use.  Cassidy didn't realize she was about to design a low-tech assistive technology device.  In other words, a piece of equipment that adapts an item to make it easier for people to use, including a wide variety of people with special needs or disabilities. 

It just so happenened that her father had bought her mother some roses for Valentine's Day.  Each rose had been purchased in a plastic tube filled with water to transport them home.  Her dad  had thrown the plastic tubes away.  Those plastic tubes became Cassie's inspiration.  She fetched them from the waste basket and inserted a broken crayon into a tube.  While it wasn't a perfect fit, it was the birth of an idea - the crayon holder. 


Cassidy's  father,  Norman Goldstein, was so impressed with her ingenuity and her invention he created By Kids For Kids, a company dedicated to inspiring kids to use their imaginations.  Today, kids from all around the country submit their inventions to BKFK.  And like Cassie's adaptive crayon holder, many of the kids inventions are designed to help kids with a wide variety of special needs and disabilities. 

The following prototypes of assistive technology devices and adaptive equipment designed by kids were demonstrated on this segment, they include:

File-A-Pack
This is great for kids who have trouble organizing their school work in their single-pouched backpack.  This backpack has color-coded sections built in for multiple categories of homework, greatly reducing the stress of the "messy backpack" syndrome.

Rocketz Backpack Wheels
This is not just any backpack on wheels.  This one actually fits in a school locker and is considered "cool."   Perfect for the student who can't sustain the weight of a loaded backpack, but provides an easy-on, easy-off wheel attachment option.

Wheelchair Backpack Holder
This young inventor saw his neighbor struggling to retrieve her backpack hanging from the back of her wheelchair, or relying on someone else to get it for her.  This ingenious backpack holder attaches to any wheelchair allowing the user to flip a lever which brings the backpack to the side of the wheelchair, allowing the user to retrieve items with ease.

Sponge Blocks
These clever blocks are made out of a feather-weight sponge material with built-in magnets, allowing them to attach to one another.  These blocks are great for kids with a wide variety of special needs that allow them to successfully grasp and build.  As an added bonus, they were designed to be vacuum-packed for condensed storage. 

Learn how kids can participate by visiting the By Kids For Kids website at www.bkfk.com