Accessibility Is the Mother of Invention: When It Comes to an Innovative Hand Control System

Titel	Accessibility Is the Mother of Invention: When It Comes to an Innovative Hand Control System
Quelle	In: Exceptional Parent, 37 (2007) 5, S.24-25 (2 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0046-9157
Schlagwörter	Accessibility (for Disabled); Assistive Technology; Innovation; Motor Vehicles; Driver Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Accessibility; Zugänglichkeit; Motor vehicle; Kraftwagen; Fahrschule
Abstract	This article features Sure Grip hand control, an innovative hand control system created by Keith Howell, the President and founder of Howell Ventures LTD. Howell was in his early teens when he experienced an accident that resulted in his quadriplegia. From that point on, Howell set about to manufacture a set of controls that would emulate the easiest style of driving that he was able to find. Twenty years later "Sure Grip" hand controls have become a leader in the disabled driving aids market in both Canada and the US. Of significant interest to Howell was the ability to create a tool that would allow young drivers a more traditional learning experience that, for able-bodied children, would most often involve some tutelage from a parent, friend, or other relative. The creation of the dual brake and gas control allows for just that type of experience. The hand control has a second control arm that reaches to the passenger side of the vehicle where the occupant can manipulate the gas and brake functions, allowing Mom or Dad to help teach driving. The Sure Grip hand control was constructed to serve those with perhaps the highest level of disability. The controls operate with very little hand strength, and unlike any other hand control on today's market, the unique vertical handle allows the operator virtual two-handed contact with the steering wheel--something no other product offers. Sure Grip, while recognized early on as the product most appropriate for those with the greatest level of disability, soon gained widespread market acceptance as the control that was easiest to use by all potential users. Just recently, Sure Grip hand control's unique and acclaimed "push/rock" style of driving--push forward for braking, rock back for acceleration--was promoted by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) as the fourth recognized style of driving for people with disabilities under the category of "manual hand controls," as described in the nationally recognized "definitions guidelines." (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	EP Global Communications Inc. 551 Main Street, Johnstown, PA 15901. Tel: 877-372-7368; Fax: 814-361-3861; e-mail: EPAR@kable.com; Web site: http://www.eparent.com/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10