Home Showcases High, Low-Tech Assistive Devices

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thanks to creative designers and engineers, as well as inventors with disabilities determined to live independently or simply to have fun, devices that make nearly any activity of daily living easier now are available on the market.

Many of these devices, including those that were developed at the University at Buffalo's Center for Assistive Technology (CAT), are on display in a model home newly installed in the Western New York Independent Living Project, Inc. at 3108 Main Street in Buffalo.

The model home was introduced to the public recently at an open house at the living center to celebrate its move from UB's South (Main Street) Campus to its current, more accessible site.

The model home is part of the Western New York Regional TRAID Center -- Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities -- which UB has operated since 1991 under contract from the state Office of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Education, which funnels money through the states.

"This information and referral program is part of UB's community service mission," said Joe Lane, MBPA, director of the CAT.  "Our TRAID program is known state-wide for our expertise in assistive technology. In the early 1990s we created a model home in the basement of Kimball Tower to show and demonstrate a wide range of assistive technology. During the past year we decided that the model home could better serve the community by being located in a more visible location."

Douglas Usiak, executive director of the Western New York Independent Living Project, welcomed the move. "This is another example of how this major research university shares its expertise with the community," he said. "The model house offers our customers new options for increasing their quality of life and living independently."

The five-room "home" is chock-full of items large and small, high-tech and low, which can make life easier for persons with physical disabilities or for people who need a little assistance now and then with activities of daily living. All are available to try out on site; some can be loaned out to test at home.

Customers enter the home through the kitchen, which contains a sink that can be raised or lowered to accommodate wheel-chair users or those who need to sit while preparing meals or washing dishes. It showcases, among many other devices, rigid plastic milk-carton holders with large handles for persons with a weak grip; color-coded large-print measuring cups; cookbooks on audio and video tape and in Braille and large print; remote controls for electrical appliances and lights, and an iron with safety guards to prevent burned hands.

Many of the first assistive devices on the market were developed to increase safety and access in the bathroom, such as shower and bath grab bars, raised toilet seats and hand-held showers. In addition to these and other low-tech devices, the model home bathroom features more technically advanced applications such as motion-activated lights and the Fluid Alert, which sounds an alarm if tub or shower water gets too hot or too cold. This is particularly useful for persons who have neuropathy or decreased skin sensation.

Standard devices such as bed grab bars and assorted dressing aids are on display in the model home's bedroom, along with a vibrating alarm clock for the hearing impaired and the "Powerhouse," an electronic pad that can be programmed to turn on lamps, radios, television and other electric appliances. The pads can be located in any room of the house.

The living room and den showcase devices geared to relaxation, such as book holders, large-print playing cards and card holders; Braille bingo, cribbage board and dice; a TV screen magnifier, and writing devices of various kinds. The den also contains a computer that controls everything from the lights to the coffee pot.

Staff at the model home conducted 15 tours involving 37 people and loaned out nine devices during the previous quarter. They expect to conduct more tours, now that the home is more public and accessible.  If a consumer finds a device that suits them, they can work with counselors to obtain it through various funding sources, Lane said.