Technology Corner

August Feature: Back to Basics: The Power of Low-Tech for Independent Living

Low-tech assistive technology can be a powerful tool for blind adults and students, offering simple, cost-effective solutions for a wide range of daily tasks. These simple, yet incredibly effective tools offer cost-efficient solutions for a wide array of daily tasks, significantly enhancing independence and quality of life. Here's a glimpse into the world of low-tech assistive technology and how it can be applied.

Orientation and Mobility (O&M)

The cornerstone of independent travel and orientation, O&M techniques are often enhanced by a few vital low-tech tools.

• Long White Cane: The primary tool for independent travel. Different tips (e.g., metal, marshmallow roller) can provide diverse environmental feedback, helping users detect obstacles and navigate various surfaces.

• Tactile Maps: Raised-line or textured maps help individuals understand the spatial layout of rooms, buildings, or neighborhoods before navigating them.

• Braille Compass: A straightforward, tactile compass for utilizing cardinal directions in route planning and orientation.

• Sighted Guide Techniques: While not a device, this vital low-tech skill ensures safe and efficient travel in challenging situations like crowded areas or unfamiliar environments.

Daily Living Skills

Low-tech tools can simplify everyday tasks and promote greater independence around the home and in the community.

Labeling and Organization

• • Braille Labelers: Create Braille labels for food items, medications, file folders, and other household objects.

  • Bump Dots: Small, self-adhesive tactile markers for identifying buttons on appliances (e.g., microwave, washing machine), thermostat controls, or specific keys on a remote control.

Kitchen and Cooking

• • Liquid Level Indicators: A simple device that clips onto the side of a cup or mug, providing an audible sound or vibration when liquid reaches the top to prevent spills.

  • Talking Timers and Scales: Devices that announce time or weight, simplifying recipe following and task management.

  • Tactile Measuring Spoons/Cups: Spoons and cups with Braille or raised markings for independent measuring of ingredients.

Money and Finances

• • Money Identifiers: Low-tech templates for folding bills in distinct ways to differentiate denominations. 

    • The U.S. Currency Reader Program is a service provided by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP) that offers free iBill currency readers to eligible blind and visually impaired U.S. citizens. These small, compact devices audibly announce the denomination of a U.S. bill when inserted, significantly simplifying money identification. The BEP partners with the National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled for distribution, making it an essential resource for promoting independence in daily living. 

  • Signature Guides: A plastic or metal frame that assists in writing a signature in a straight line on documents.

Time Management

• • Braille Watches and Clocks: Tactile timepieces allowing individuals to tell time by touch.

  • Talking Watches and Clocks: Provide an auditory announcement of the time.

Literacy and Education

• • Braille Slate and Stylus: A portable, cost-effective tool for writing Braille on the go, akin to a pencil and paper for sighted individuals.

  • Braillewriter: A Perkins Brailler, a manual Braille typewriter, is a foundational tool for learning and producing Braille.

  • Raised-Line Paper: Paper with embossed lines offers tactile feedback, aiding students with low vision or those learning to write in print to stay on the lines.

  • Large Print Materials: Books, calendars, and other materials in large, high-contrast print are highly effective for individuals with low vision.

A Guide to Cane Tips

The type of cane tip can significantly impact navigation by providing different tactile feedback. Tips are categorized based on their shape, material, and function.

Standard Tips

• Rolling Marshmallow: A popular, versatile tip that rotates 360 degrees, offering good feedback and stability across various surfaces.

• Rolling Ball: A spherical tip, often larger than the marshmallow tip, ideal for new cane users or long distances, designed to roll smoothly over cracks and uneven surfaces.

• Jumbo Roller: Even larger than the rolling ball, this disc-shaped tip excels in outdoor environments, providing smooth navigation over diverse terrains and offering long-lasting durability.

• Supaball: A very large rolling tip (near tennis ball size), heavier and providing less tactile feedback, best suited for long distances on relatively smooth surfaces.

• Pencil Tip: A thin, lightweight tip offering excellent tactile feedback for detecting small ground changes, though it can get caught in cracks.

• Pear/Marshmallow (Static): Similar to the pencil tip but wider at the base, providing good feedback for both tapping and constant contact techniques.

• Ceramic Tip: A durable, half-sphere shaped tip known for excellent audio and tactile feedback, gliding smoothly over rough surfaces despite potential wear and tear.

• Metal Glide Tip: A small, sturdy, flat metal disk offering precise tactile and auditory feedback, gliding easily over surfaces.

Specialty/All-Terrain Tips

These tips are engineered for specific, challenging environments:

• Hockey Tip: Shaped like a hockey stick end, designed for difficult surfaces such as snow, ice, or thick grass, where traditional tips might get stuck.

• Dakota Disk: A wide, hollow disk-shaped tip, excellent for gliding over softer, uneven surfaces like sand, grass, or gravel.

• Bundu Basher/Rover Tip: Robust tips built for rugged outdoor and wilderness use, durable and capable of handling uneven terrain.

Interested in learning how these tools and more can enhance your mobility? Contact Navigating Independence, PLLC today for a personalized consultation!