Volume 17, No. 1, Winter 2009	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
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The AT Bargain Basement

Marvin Williams
AT Specialist
DATI New Castle County ATRC

Hello True Believers and welcome to another stirring issue of the AT Bargain Basement. This is the place where we discover the many assistive technology (AT) bargains that often go unnoticed for one reason or another. If you’re a regular visitor to the Basement, welcome back! If this is your first visit with us, what kept you? For those who don’t know, I’ll go over our rules of engagement. I look around to find all of the AT bargains I can as well as those you bring to me to share with the group. Now by bargain, I mean AT that costs $100 or less. While I try to find you bargains you can get in local stores, I also give you info on bargains you can order over the telephone or online. With that being said, let’s get to the bargains!

Our first bargain is the Sylvania DOT-it LED light. This is Sylvania’s version of a stick-up light that provides additional illumination. The nice thing about these lights is that you press them to turn them on and off. They can be useful wherever you need a light that you can’t easily activate by turning or flipping a switch. You can stick them up along a dark stairway if other lighting isn’t available or any place where you need a light but can’t put a conventional fixture. Now, these lights are not meant to provide the widespread lighting of a typical lamp. Instead, they provide more of a spotlight effect. So, if a little light is all you’re looking for, the Sylvania DOT-it light is a good one to check out. You can get them at Home Depot for $7.99 each. Of course, there are a lot of different brands of stick-up lighting. Westinghouse makes the cordless StickUp Bulb. The StickUp Bulb looks like a light bulb in a fixture without a shade. Contrary to the appearance, you cannot replace the bulb once it burns out. However, the light boasts a 10-year warranty against manufacturing defects. This doesn’t mean the bulb will last that long, however; so be forewarned. It takes AAA batteries; so, most likely you will have to change the batteries before you need a new light. The biggest benefit to the Westinghouse unit is that it casts more light in an area than the spotlight effect of the Sylvania product. You can purchase this light from Amazon.com for $9.95 plus shipping and handling. You can also buy it from the Ace Hardware Outlet (www.acehardwareoutlet.com) for $7.95 plus shipping and handling. Do note that if you order these or any other products, there will most likely be shipping and handling charges. Make sure you know your total cost before you complete your order.

Our next bargain is another illuminating gem! The Acroa Pathlighter cane has a light built into it. The light provides the user illumination while walking. This can help you avoid a dangerous situation when walking at night and in other low-light situations. I found the Pathlighter at Sears.com in their healthcare section for $39.99 (again, plus shipping and handling). It is 36-inches long, so you may need to have it cut to the height that fits you. If you don’t want to worry about cutting the cane down to size, you can always try the adjustable height version available from Walgreens.com. The adjustable height version only adjusts from 34-inches to 38-inches and sells for $44.99 (plus shipping and handling). As with any mobility device, always consult your physician or a licensed physical therapist before purchasing a new device.

The last bargain, or should I say “group of bargains,” comes to us from the world of sporting goods. It’s the CamelBak hydration system. Basically, the CamelBak is a water bottle made to strap on your back. It comes in several different sizes. The Slipstream can hold 50 ounces of fluid. There is a drinking tube attached to it that allows you to sip your beverage without having to take the bottle out of its pack or off of your back (the holder is a backpack). Besides the 50 oz. Slipstream, there’s the 70 oz. Classic and the 100 oz. Lobo. Each is sold for under $80. You can order one of the CamelBak hydration systems from a variety of distributors, or you can go into your local sporting goods store and see if they carry them. Dick’s Sporting Goods is a good place to start. So, who cares about what’s essentially a thermos in a backpack with a long straw? Well, lots of people have problems regulating their body temperature. Proper hydration can alleviate this issue. But for some people, that’s just not as simple as stopping at the local convenience store and getting a bottle of water or throwing an extra bottle in your bag before leaving the house. If you can’t open the bottle or lift it to drink independently, it can be very difficult to stay hydrated. Well, the CamelBak makes taking a drink as easy as sipping on a straw. The unit can also fit on the back of a wheelchair for easy storage while still being close enough for use. Depending on the beverage used, you may need the specialized cleaning kit in order to make sure that the unit stays fresh and ready for safe use.

And that will bring another action-packed episode of the AT Bargain Basement to a close. I hope you found something useful here, but if you didn’t, keep coming back because we have so many bargains and so little time. Once again, if you have any bargains you would like to share with the group, please send them along! And remember, just because it’s a bargain, doesn’t mean it’s cheap!

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