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What kinds of support aids are available?
Support aids are devices designed to increase the freedom and independence of those with disabilities. Typically, individuals with injuries or disabilities, as well as older individuals use different types of supporting aids.
These gadgets offer numerous advantages to their users, including more independence, decreased discomfort, and enhanced confidence and self-esteem.
Types Of Support Aids
1. Gross Motor Supportive Aids
Gross motor supportive devices include mobility aids such as scooters, walkers, electric wheelchairs, orthotics, and prosthetics for physically handicapped individuals. In addition, building modifications such as ramps, wide entrances, and grab bars make it easier for people with assistive devices to access public facilities.
2. Fine Motor Supportive Devices
Individuals can participate in physical activities thanks to a variety of lightweight, high-performance assistance gadgets. Fine motor supportive tools include page-turners, customized pencil grips, adaptive switches, and utensils. They aid with the performance of various fine motor activities. Other specialized equipment has also been made that help with activities such as cooking, dressing, and grooming.
3. Vision Supportive Aids
Low-vision individuals can benefit from vision-related assistive technologies. For instance, visors, bold markers, and dark-lined paper can help people with low vision in completing written activities. Other optical equipment includes closed-circuit television systems, telescopes, and magnifiers.
4. Hearing Aids
Simple gadgets, such as closed-captioning technologies and hearing aids can increase deaf and people with impaired hearing access to the media.
5. Cognitive Devices
Many computer-based assistive technologies are designed to help people with cognitive problems. For example, text-to-speech software assists students who struggle to read, whereas speech-to-text software helps those who struggle to write.
Similarly, cueing and memory aids have been developed for older adults. Other examples include voice recognition software, voice recorders, word prediction software, screen readers, and Personal digital assistant.
6. Supporting Devices For Leisure, Sports, And Recreation
These aids help people with disabilities and impairments in participating in sports, recreation, and leisure activities. Here are several examples: adapting sporting equipment, adapted toys, camera attachments, and playing card shufflers all are available.
7. Vehicle Modification And Transportation Aids
Transportation and Vehicle aids improve a person’s level of independence and make it safer for them to travel to other places. Examples include tie and lockdown for fastening a wheelchair to the floor of the vehicle, lifts, raised roofs, and adapted seat belts.
These features on transportation aids and vehicle parts can be modified according to the needs of the person. Overall, all these supportive devices provide increase level of independence ad boosts confidence of disabled individuals.
