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Volume 20, No. 1 - Winter 2012 |
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The AT Bargain Basement
Marvin Williams
AT Specialist
DATI New Castle County ATRC
Hello, True Believers, and welcome to the AT Bargain Basement! This is the home of the assistive technology, or AT, bargain. I am your master of ceremonies for this AT garden party, Marvin Williams. If you’re old hat to the Bargain Basement, welcome back! If you’re new, let me explain how this works. I bring you various AT devices that your fellow Bargain Basement dwellers and I find for $100 or less. Some of the bargains will be in local stores and some may only be available online. If the item is available online, note that there may be shipping charges lurking in the shadows! If you share a bargain with me, I will gladly give you credit when sharing that bargain with the group. If you share winning lottery numbers with me, however, I will not be so kind. So without further ado, let’s get to the bargains!
My first bargain is the Sure Clip magnified nail clipper. This is handy for anyone needing to trim their finger or toe nails, without trimming their fingers or toes because they have trouble seeing. The clippers have a magnifier attached to them right near the cutting head. This makes it easier to see your nail going into the head to make sure you don’t cut too much. There’s also a light to make sure things are bright enough for you to see. I saw this unit in Big Lots in New Castle (the new one on Basin Road) for $2. I’ve also seen them at Walgreens.com for $9.99 (with free shipping), Kmart.com for $4.99 (with free shipping to the store nearest you, which is great if you can get to the store), and from Amazon.com for $5.96 (with about $4 for shipping and handling). So there are indeed options out there for getting these clippers.
Switching gears, I’d like to talk about a very high–tech tool. It’s the Camera Mouse, an alternative mouse controller for Windows–based computers. This software allows you to control the movement of your computer’s mouse using your head. That’s right, using your head. Using the computer’s webcam (you have to have a working webcam for this to work), you can move your mouse by moving your head. How do you click? No, not by doing your best impersonation of Jeannie from “I Dream of Jeannie.” There are other utilities that help you click by either clicking a switch or just by keeping the mouse in one spot for a given time (you can set that time to be as short or as long as you want). I’ve used this tool a few times and it’s pretty darned cool. It’s very effective and you can’t beat the price. The software is available as a FREE download from cameramouse.org. I’ve only used it on a Windows computer running the Windows 7 operating system, but on the Website, the software creator says it works on computers running Windows 7, Vista, or even XP. The software is surprisingly accurate. I’ve found it can help to add a little reflective tape to the focus point on the head, but even without that, it does a great job. You would be hard–pressed to find a commercial product that functions half as well for anywhere near that price. If you don’t have a webcam, you can get one for less than $30 these days from Walmart, Target, Best Buy or just about any store that sells electronics.
My last bargain is only available here in Delaware. I recently visited my friend Jason Burns who runs the Goodwill Medical Equipment shop on Lea Boulevard in Wilmington, and I saw some fantastic walkers that looked brand new! There are even specialty strollers. I knew they were donated equipment he and his guys had cleaned up and refurbished to look wonderful. However, I didn’t know that the majority cost $100 or less! He has the aluminum walkers often seen in yard sales, but I’m also talking about the fancy ones that usually cost $80 or more. He has those and they’re in like–new condition. Any broken parts have been replaced and they’re ready to go.
Of course, if you think you may need a walker, you should consult your doctor and a licensed physical therapist before going out to purchase one on your own. Even if you get one from Jason and the folks at Goodwill, you should still take it to a therapist to have it properly fitted (yeah, these things need to be personalized) and to learn how to use it safely. Also, you want to make sure you have the correct feet on them. There are many configurations for walkers. All four legs can have rubber tips like those on a cane; wheels can be on the front and rubber tips on the back; wheels can be on the back and rubber tips on the front; or wheels can be on all legs. There can also be little sleds or skis to make moving over carpet easier, and sometimes tennis balls are cut to fit over the rubber tips. I’m telling you, the options seem nearly endless! So it’s important to make sure you’re using the appropriate device for safety and comfort. A therapist can definitely help you with that. Oh, I guess I should tell you that you can call the Goodwill store at 302–463–1465 and check out their inventory at www.goodwillde.org/DME.
That does it for this installment of the AT Bargain Basement. Join us next time when we’ll look at more bargains that may make a difference in your life or the life of someone you care about. As usual, feel free to send along your bargain finds via e–mail to marvinw@udel.edu and follow me on Twitter @mwilliamsAT. ’Til next time, remember, just because something’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s a bargain!
