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>>Wade: Hi, I'm Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project
at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indiana.
Today, we are going to talk about some low tech handwriting aids.
We are here in the assistive technology lab at Easter Seals Crossroads.
And Carol Girt is going to spend some time with us
talking about how you can use all kinds of different things
to make handling a pen or pencil a little more independent.
So, go with me here in the lab and we are going to visit with Carol.
So, Carol you have been working in the field of assistive technology for a long time.
You and I have been friends for awhile,
and I know that you have seen lots and lots of things.
High tech things, low tech things, all kinds of assistive technology.
But, today you told me that you have some low tech stuff that's kinda cool.
What do you have?
>>Carol: Well, this little thing here is piece of foam
that has a nice little hole through the center of it.
You can take your pen, any pen and just push it through there
and make it easier to hold.
Then this other thing that I have here
will fit on my hand, especially if I don't have a lot of use of my hand.
So that I can write with it like that.
>>Wade: Excellent.
You've got all kinds of colorful things here,
tell me about some more of them.
>>Carol: Well, these little colorful things
are grips for pencils.
There is one more right here, here is the yellow one.
And this is a triangular grip where you can hold it in three different ways.
You see these a lot with school kids.
>>Wade: Excellent,
and there is something here on the table that looks kind of like a bird.
Am I seeing things, or is that correct?
>>Carol: No, that is correct.
This is called a writing bird.
You 6take with your pen down on the paper and just write.
It takes a little practice, but you can do it.
>>Wade: Excellent, and there are all kinds of things here.
There is one that looks like a sling shot maybe and some little tiny ones.
Tell me about those.
>>Carol: Sling shot?
>>Wade: That blue one right there, what is that?
>>Carol: Oh ok, get the card out of here.
This holds the pencil up
if you just don't have the wrist area to be able to hold the pencil up.
It hold the pencil up, and you move it along.
>>Wade: Ok, and what is this one right here?
>>Carol: This one is my favorite one.
This one you just take and put your finger on top.
And kind of rest it, there are pads right here,
and kind of rest it there.
You don't have to grip the pen,
because I can remember as a kid gripping the pen
just as hard as I could grip it.
But you don't have to do that with this and it just moves great.
>>Wade: What about these teeny, tiny ones here?
They are smaller than the inventory tags that are on them.
>>Carol: Definitely, this one you take
and set it on the side of your finger.
Here again, you write with the pen.
The same with this one.
This one is one that has been made with stuff that OT people use.
And I've got it one backwards.
>>Wade: It is like made out of orthoplast?
>>Carol: Ya.
And the pen point is pointed down,
so that here again you can take a full hand.
You don't even have to shape it like you would grip a pen.
There you go.
>>Wade: Excellent, well Carol thanks so much for spending some much time with us today
talking about all these handwriting devices.
They are pretty cool.
>>Carol: Thank you.
>>Wade: You know, I am always amazed
at how some of the simplest things can have the greatest impact
when we are talking about assistive technology.
So that's you tech tip for this week,
I'm Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project in Indiana.