~ Projects & Solutions Page ~
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Even if you need both hands to move around with your wheel chair... You can serve yourself at the buffet! |
Tired of always needing other folks to help you carry stuff? Here's a low cost easy to make project that will help you both at home and when you go places! You may need some help from friends to execute this idea, but once you have this handy removable tray for your wheel chair... life gets easier! No more balancing cups of coffee or sandwiches on your lap from kitchen to living room. And, if you couldn't go to a buffet restaurant without someone with you to help you at the buffet, you can with Mark's Handi-Tray. This can be made to work on most wheelchairs. Making and Using Mark's Handi-Tray (Or Click On Photo) |
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Get down to the floor, and back up again from almost any chair using... |
| Mark's
special... Arm-Strong Step Unit |
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If you can move around on your butt using your hands and arms,
and if you have reasonably good balance, this project will make
it possible for you to "Get Down!" and do things on the floor
without assistance and dangerous climbing; and maintain a good
bit of your dignity in the presence of others! (Animated graphic
- Page loads in about 45 seconds.) Building and Using the Arm-Strong Step Unit (Or Click On Photo) |
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Get down to the floor, and back up again from almost any chair using... |
| Mark's
special... Knee-Stand Step Unit |
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If you can stand on your knees without difficulty,and if you have
reasonably good balance, this project will make
it possible for you to "Get Down!" and do things on the floor
without assistance and dangerous climbing; and maintain a good
bit of your dignity in the presence of others! Building and Using the Knee-Stand Step Unit (Or Click On Photo) |
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Wish you could reach two feet higher? Here's... |
| A Cheap Grabber! |
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| You can buy the grabber you see me using in the photo from Dr. Lenard's Healthcare Catalog 1-800-785-0880. They call the cheap one the "Reacher" and it sells for about $6 US; its item number is #15404. It's "dinky" but it does work. Their Deluxe E-Z Reacher sells for about $25 US; it is item #12047. You get on their list and you will receive their catalogs about every two weeks. There are some other useful things, and some not so useful things as well; depending on your perspective. I like their Deluxe Comfort Cusion ($25) #40089 for my outside chair. Their Poly/Cotton Cover for it ($7) #40329 could be heavier and more soil resistant. Their wheelchairs look a bit light weight and to date I have not seen one with removable side arms, which I believe essential for double leg or foot amputees who need to slide to the side moving between chairs. | |
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This one's pretty simple, but if things get away from you... Cut the head off an old broomstick, drill a hole and bend some hanger wire as shown, because you need... |
| Mark's Happy Hooker |
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Get more seat side room and make your chair more stable with this... |
| Helpful Wheel Chair Modification For Double Foot/Leg Amputees |
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| When I became a double amputee, I found it necessary to move in and out of a wheel chair from the side. Problem is, there's not much side room on the seat because of the wheel placement. The wheel set-back bracket shown moves the wheel back two inches which dosen't seem like much, but it makes getting into and out of the chair easier. Another advantage of using this bracket is more stablity for your chair making it less likely to do unexpected "wheelies". The welding on the bracket in the photo was because I couldn't get the right one for the chair, and we had to shorten it to keep the same wheel height. (We also had to drill and tap the hole the wheel mounting bolt goes through. Repeat after me... "God forbid they'd make anything standard!") One bracket for each wheel. It's hard to see in the photo, but the bracket slides over the bottom piece of tubing on the chair. | |
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Do you live in a small house? Can't get through the 24" door to the bathroom? You may find great use for... |
| Mark's Inside Chair |
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This chair measures only 23 1/2" wide and has other socially
redeeming qualities...
Amputees who need to slide onto chairs from the
side will find it helpful when moving from sofa to chair
because the seat height is high enough to make it easier to
move onto it from the raised arm of many sofas and chairs...
Also, it has a tighter turning radius for narrow hallways.
The Inside Chair is even more useful with the tray setup
described above (Mark's Handi-Tray) and the
addition of a spare Tupperware bread container. Building Mark's Inside Chair (Or Click On Photo) |
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Can't afford a new van? Can't travel easily with your power chair? Here's... |
| Things you can do with an old van! | |
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I don't know how you can avoid the expense of hand controls
(about $600) which require the vehicle to have power brakes
and an automatic transmission; but I sure have some good
ideas about making it possible for you to travel in that van
by yourself at fairly reasonable setup cost. No matter how
ugly you may think that old van is, you'll think it's
beautiful when you gain your independence. Things you can do with an old van (Or Click On Photo) |
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There may be other brands that do this. All I want to do is let you know that it's possible to have a good... |
| Hands-Free Cellular Telephone setup |
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| Nokia has a car speaker phone setup for their Model 2160 series digital phones. I presume the car kit fits other Nokia models. With many service providers you get the phone free. The car kit shown sells for $65 US, and about $30 for the outside antenna. The car kit comes with a holder, a microphone (I have mine clipped onto the visor), and a lighter socket 12V power plug. I've seen car stuff for other brands, but nothing as convenient as this one. Don't forget... You need a current AAA Plus subscription (they pay the towing company, not you), so you'll have somebody to call when you need help. This kind of phone setup is important when one hand is on the wheel and the other on your gas/brake control arm. | |
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Here are some problems I've been asked about that are not
covered on these pages... |
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If you have solutions you'd like to share, they are most welcome... |
| This section is reserved for your Projects and Suggestions. |
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| If you have a better way, or a way for persons with different needs than my own... Help others by sharing your ideas! Photos are extremely helpful. mark@discovery-us.com | |
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These pages are always "Under Construction".
©2003 Mark Krell - ©2003 Equity International Webcenter
| COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Ideas, artwork, and elements of this website are the intellectual Property of Mark Krell. If you are a disabled person who wishes to use any of my ideas to help you to improve your life, you have my permission, my blessing, and my sincere hope that I have helped you. If you are interested in manufacturing, marketing, or in some way making money from what you see here, you are not free to do so without compensating me. This is right and fair because I will use your money to develop new ideas and prototypes; thus creating new opportunities for you to profit. DISCLAIMER: Because everyone who is disabled has different individual needs due to differing physical conditions; you use any of my ideas with the express understanding between you and me that I cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen to you as a result of such use. It is your responsibility to determine your own physical capabilities. It is your responsibility to consult your physician to make such determinations if you are in doubt. By making use of my ideas, you agree to release me from any and all liability from any occurance connected with such use from this day forth until the end of time. You also agree to the same conditions with any contributor of ideas to these pages other than myself. |