Summertime Fun!

School is out and the sun is shinning! Summer is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your family and have some good ole fashion FUN! Quite often summer activities can be a hassle because you have to pack up the family and leave the comfort/convenience of your own home. Here are some easy ideas of activities/therapeutic toys for the whole family to enjoy and can be brought to your door!

Bubbles- Great for visual tracking and practicing hand-eye coordination. They're are loads of fun!

#2286 Bubble Mania

#4535 Dora Bubble Blower

#4539 Sponge Bob Bubble Blower

Water - Water is a great therapy tool, it provides great sensation and wonderful sounds. It is also a perfect way to cool down on a hot day!

#9000 Water Toy

#9013 Under the Sea

Games- Games are a great way to teach friendly competition, teamwork and sharing. Also a good way to incorporate the whole family!

#6789 Wireless Pitching Machine

#91 Yahtzee with High Roller

#4532 Switch Spinner

#4051 Bingo

Several of the products above are on sale for a limited time only! So make sure you go to www.EnablingDevices.com to get the special offer!

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - Williams James

Sensory Space- Customized for You!

Since January 2012, Enabling Devices launched a new line of products for Sensory Spaces. Sensory Spaces are used all over the world for many therapeutic purposes. The main idea behind these products is to help people relax and self-regulate through sensory integration, self organization and stress management. Many spaces are designed to stimulate the senses using lighting effects, colors, vibration, music and much more. Sensory Spaces come in many sizes and shapes. Some are an entire room, where as others are corners or certain designated areas. They are used for people of all ages from children to seniors. Many are found in schools, hospitals, therapy offices and even in homes. When a person enters the room or area, they know they are in a safe, quiet environment. The effects make them feel good and focus on self-soothing.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are designing your space:

Location- Is your room for a home setting or facility? Make sure your space is in an area that can be secluded or have barriers. You want people to feel safe in an enclosed space. Do you want window in your space? If the only area you have has windows and you want to block out the light, you can always cover them with black construction paper, or black-out curtains.

Design- Make a plan!  First decide who will be using the space and what kind of access will be needed. Will wheelchair access be necessary? Do you plan on having multiple people in the room? Will supervision be needed? Determine what the primary use of the room will be.

Budget- Is there a budget? Who will fund the area or space? Will funds need to be raised?

Here are a few great products for your space:

#2291 Interactive Musical Bubble Tube

#3951 Gel Pad Activity Center

#1421 Robotic Laser Ball

#3119 Touch Light Panels

We carry a wide variety of products for your space, whether it be big or small. We strive to offer you with many options that can suite your needs. If you need help designing your space or choosing which products are right for you, please ask our team, we are here for help!

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” - Helen Keller


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Tech Tips with Vinny our Tech Expert- Computer Ready Switches

Today, to help teach us about computer switches, I would like to introduce Vinny, Tech Expert! Vinny has worked for Enabling Devices in the Tech Department for almost 11 years. He is our product specialist and plays a major role on the Product Development team. Vinny is very recognizable because he is the star in our Tech Videos!

Enabling Devices Blogger: What is a computer ready switch?

Vinny: Computer ready switches are for someone who is physically challenged. The individual no longer has to rely on another person to control the “clicks” of a mouse. We offer a wide variety of switches that meet the needs of many users.

EDB: Why would someone use one of these switches?

V: They would be used by someone who cannot operate a standard mouse or keyboard.

EDB: How do I connect a switch to the computer?

V: First you begin with a switch interface (the hardware) that connects to the computer. We offer wired and wireless interfaces. Deciding which switch and interface to use totally depends on the individual. I always ask customers; what is your goal? What are you trying to do with the computer? I need to know who the end user is and how they plan on using the computer and what kind of application/software, such as single switch access software. One thing to keep in mind is that 95% of switch interfaces only operate a mouse click or key stroke. They do not move the cursor around the desktop. With that being said, most interfaces are used in conjunction with single access software, which doesn’t rely on curser movement; it requires a keystroke or mouse click.

Below is an instructional video staring Vinny!

EDB: What is the difference between a computer ready switch and interactive mouse/wireless single mouse?

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V: The computer ready switches only work the left click (double click) of a mouse, you cannot move the curser. The Wireless Single Mouse can also be set for other mouse functions such as the right click, drag and scroll. The Interactive Mouse can only operate the left click; however the mouse functions are still available for both interfaces. Another person such as a therapist can control the mouse curser movement, and the individual can activate the switch to make a selection. This is a great tool to use for participation and non-switch friendly applications.

EDB: Which one would you recommend?

V: Every individual is unquie; it depends on the end user. The computer ready switches we carry are connected to an Ultimate, Sip and Puff, Pancake or Gumball switch. We also carry an adapter which you can plug your own switch into. I have seen that these are becoming more and more popular.

EDB: If a customer wants to be able to operate a mouse solely themselves, without the help of another person moving the direction of the mouse curser, what would your recommend?

                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                 

V: We have three great options that I would recommend depending on the individual’s abilities. The SAM-Joystick, and SAM-Trackball, are reliable products if the person is able to operate the joystick or trackball.

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In my opinion, the best option we carry is the Hands Free Mouse. Your head movement moves the curser. It also has a feature called Dwell Clicking where the user holds the curser over an icon for a certain amount of time which is adjustable, and it will replicate the double click function. An additional switch is not necessary. However it does have support for up to 2 switches if you would like that option, such as having the head movement control the curser and sip and puff switch work the mouse click. You can basically run almost any computer program with this product; it is one of my favorites. It gives you full access to the computer.

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If you have any further questions please feel free to contact our Tech Expert! Vinny can be reach at customer_support@enablingdevices.com or call us at 1-800-832-8697.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man" - George B Shaw.

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