Assistive Device Center - Lookbook
The aim of the Assistive Device Center is to provide custom-made adaptive equipment and instructional materials to help support the educational and therapeutic goals of our students. We are committed to making unique items to match the specific needs of each individual. Please feel free to talk to us about any idea you may have for positioning equipment, movement items, sensory exploration activities, switches or other projects.
Even though we advocate making unique materials for each child, we find that many frequently produced items have been beneficial for many students. The items below are examples of some of these often-built adaptations.
Each item below will be described as we typically make it, but we will then give you options so as to customize it to best meet your needs. Use this as a guide to figure out what you would like before calling or emailing the assistive device center with your request.
Phone: (617) 972-7520
Email:
Cardboard Slant Board
Slant boards can be used to present sensory exploration or communication materials. Books or ipads can be propped up on the lip. They can also be used to display tangible symbols.
Typical Construction:
● The front face is 18”X12”
● The lip extends out 1 ¼”
● A box behind is added for storage
● The lip and back are painted black
● The board is tipped 60 degrees up from the table
● The front is covered with black Veltex fabric (the loop portion of Velcro made into a cloth that hook Velcro will stick to)
Information necessary when requesting a slant board:
● Same as above: (Request a typical Veltex slant board)
● Front face size: ______(Height x Width in inches)
● Lip ______or No Lip______
● Depth of Lip _____(In inches)
● Veltex______(Yes or No)
● Box behind______or Triangular Supports Behind______
● Lip and Back Color______
● Angle of Tilt Up From Table______(10-90 degrees)
(Ex: Left Image: 18”x24” no lip, triangular supports, (Left Image: 45 degree tilt from table
Veltex, black. Right Image: 10”x12” lip, with Veltex, Right Image: 60 degree tilt )
black)
Indented Sequencing Tray (Calendar Board)
These trays have indented spaces filled with Veltex fabric. Students can follow a schedule or other sequence as they place or remove objects, tangible symbols or communication pictures from the openings. We do not have any typical size or design for these trays.
Information Necessary When Ordering an Indented Sequencing Tray:
● How many indentations are needed?
● What size should these indentations be?
● Should the tray be flat or at an angle?
● What angle up from the table is good? (10-90 degrees)
● If there are a lot of spaces, would you like a long single row or would you like two or more rows?
● What color would you like the background to be?
Tangible Symbol Cards
Tangible symbols are three-dimensional cards with parts of objects embedded in them. The object pieces concretely represent real items or concepts. It is important to pick a representational object that is similar in texture to the referent object. Tangible symbols are more abstract than using whole objects for communication, but they are more concrete than symbolic language systems like speech and sign language.
Tangible symbols can be used for both receptive and expressive communication. They can be used to identify landmarks, creating activity schedules, stating feelings, protesting, requesting, indicating need states (e.g. hungry, thirsty), and making choices, to name a few.
The tangible symbols come in two sizes 4” by 6” and 2” by 3”. 4” by 6” is a standard size of a photograph. It can be easily held by a child and explore. This size also provides room for a good-sized piece of the chosen object. If the child has a large tangible symbol vocabulary, the mass of these large cards can be quite cumbersome. This child might then use the mini 2” by 3” symbol cards instead.
These tangible symbols can be displayed using a variety of items produced by the
Assistive Devices center including, Veltex slant boards, flat Veltex boards, Veltex book, sequencing trays or they can be adhered on doorways or just about anywhere.
You may request plain tangible symbol cards from the Assistive Devices Center.
Information Necessary When Ordering Tangible Symbol Cards:
● Size and amount: ______4”x 6” ______2”x 3”
It is important to note that we do not provide the symbols themselves, nor do we embed large quantity of objects provided to us. If you are interested in creating tangible symbols please contact us at the center and we can provide you with more information.
PVC Hanging frame
Hanging frames: Can be used to hang/display various materials and objects for students to explore and manipulate.
These frames can be made small to fit on a lap tray or table or large to be used over someone seated or lying on the floor.
Information necessary when ordering a hanging frame:
● Dimensions: ___H x _____W x ____ D (this is will be the measurement of the outside of the PVC after it is assembled)
● Important things to consider:
○ Strength of the student using the frame, would you need it to be clamped or velcroed down?
○ Where will it be positioned?
○ If on a wheelchair lap tray is there a lip?
○ Would you like a plastic tab to clamp it to a table or to add velcro to?
○ All of the pieces of the frame can be cemented or the top bar can be left unglued so that the frame can be pulled apart for easier storage or transport
Bead Curtain
● This small PVC frame with several strands of ball chain hanging from it is good for tabletop sensory exploration.
The typical size is:
● Height: 11”
● Width: 13”
● Depth: 9”
Pegboard Slant Board
Items are attached through the holes in this black plastic pegboard for encouraging sensory exploration and visual attention.
Our typical sensory slant boards are about 13” high and 18” wide. They are usually bent so that they are fairly upright (about 70 degrees up from the table).
Information Necessary when ordering a Pegboard Slant Board:
● Same as Above: (Request a typical sensory slant board)
● Height:______
● Width:______
● Angle of Tilt:______
Tablet Stand/ Collapsible Slant Board (“Eileen”)
These corrugated plastic tablet stands were designed by Therese Willkomm, an OT and adaptive design specialist in New Hampshire, who calls them “Eileens”. The plastic is scored in a few places so that the angle of tilt can be adjusted.
The bases for our version of this display stand typically measure 10”X13”. We usually put a black bent lip on the bottom.
Information Necessary When Ordering an “Eileen”:
● Same as Above:(Request a typical “Eileen”)
● Different size: ______H x ______W
● Preferred color for lip: (Black, yellow, or red)
● Addition of small plastic tabs to keep an ipad from sliding off the stand
Flat Veltex Boards
Veltex fabric is wrapped around TriWall cardboard or sometimes thin plastic or wood to make presentation, storage, or display boards of any size. The fabric is wrapped around to the back side so that the material does not easily peel off. Smaller presentation boards can be two sided as two separate boards are connected to one another with nuts and bolts or Velcro. Straps can be added to two sided boards if needed.
Information Needed When Ordering A Veltex Board:
● Height
● Width
● Special features:
○ Veltex on both sides
○ Strap (how long does strap need to be) (Is strap attached across the short end or along the long side)
Plastic Slant Clipboard (Writing Stand)
These black plastic stands with clips at the top are usually gently sloped and used for writing. The clip stabilizes the paper and the tilt promotes wrist extension which can help improve handwriting skills.
Our typical writing stand is 18” across and about 14” along the slanted surface. The back is about 5” high. The angle of tilt is about 25 degrees up from the table. The clip is centered in the middle of the top.
Information Needed When Ordering a Writing Stand:
● Same as Above:
● Size of front surface:____ H x _____W
● Angle: _____ (10-90 degrees)
● Variation in Clip Placement:
Texture Sensory Board
This sensory or scratch board encourages a child to explore and differentiate a variety of textured materials. At a more advanced level it can be used to enhance spatial orientation and left to right and top to bottom sequencing.
Our typical boards are made up of 12 3”X3” squares glued into a 13”X 10” tray. Many of the fabric squares are made by wrapping cloth with stuffing around squares of card to add to the softness. We usually paint the backgrounds yellow.
Information Necessary When Ordering a Sensory Board:
● Same as Above:(Request a typical texture sensory board)
● Frame Color:______
● Types of Textures Preferred:______(Feel free to bring some of your own textures to the Assistive Device Center)
● Different Sized Squares:_____ H x _____ W
● Different Number of Squares:______
Veltex Book
This soft book made out of Veltex fabric can be used to illustrate a story with removable pictures or pieces of objects. A student can also turn the pages to follow a schedule or sequence.
Our typical Veltex books have four leaves (8 pages counting each side as a page) that measure approximately 12”X9”. We usually add a fairly long strip of hook Velcro at the middle of the side of the first page so that the book can be held closed.
Information Necessary for Ordering a Veltex Book:
● Same as Above: (Request a typical Veltex Book)
● Change page size to:______in x ______in
● Change number of leaves to 6:______(yes or no)
● Add strap: ______(yes or no)
● Length of Strap:______in
Portable Sensory Exploration Spaces
These foldable box-like structures are modeled after Lilli Nielsen’s “little rooms”. These are classic environments used to support “active learning” strategies.
Our typical sensory exploration spaces are made using artists’ wooden stretcher frames, corrugated plastic and clear poly-acrylic plastic. We made an infant size (top is 24”X24” and height is 18”) and a toddler size (top is 30”X30” and height is 24”). We usually use black corrugated plastic on the sides to provide good color contrast. The top is clear plastic with many holes drilled in it.
Information necessary for Ordering a Portable Sensory Exploration Space:
● Size: Large_____Small_____
● Sides: Black______Primary Colors______Clear______