Buying a gift for someone can be tricky on it’s own, but figuring out useful or helpful items for people with disabilities can be even more challenging. This is especially true when you look at the prices for many “disability” related items. Therefore I wanted to put together a quick list of 5 items under $50 each to check out. I have personally used each of these items and found them extremely helpful. Since most of these are not considered “disability products” I’ll also explain how they help me.
Note: while it’s always fun to make someone’s gift a surprise, it might be best to talk with the recipient before you purchase something to make sure it will meet their access needs.
T-Pull Door Pull
Price: $39.99
Where to buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC14B9W3?th=1
How it’s helpful: A big struggle I’ve had is closing the door in our garage when leaving the house. This was especially important when I was trying to use the paratransit services in my area… one time my puppy escaped because I didn’t shut the door well enough. But that’s another story. Anyway, this product attaches (sticks, no tools required) to a door wherever it’s convenient for the person to reach and allows you to pull it towards you. It’s easy to grip and extends outward reducing the distance between you and the door. You can then push the handle inward so it lays parallel to the door. It looks nice and the application isn’t limited to this kind of situation. It would work well for an inside office door and I’ve seen it used on a bathroom stall door as well.
The video I posted above gives you a rough idea of how it works. I didn’t want to actually go outside into the garage because it’s cold! Plus it’s tricky to hold my phone and drive / show how it works. But hopefully you can see how the handle moves in and out to allow you to pull or push the door as needed.
Glow in the dark tape
Price: $12.99 for 1 roll of 30 feet x 1 inch tape
Where to buy: https://a.co/d/7WrKsmL
How it’s helpful: This glow in the dark tape is helpful for me as someone who has low vision. For example, I have an adjustable bed remote and could never tell which was the top vs the bottom in the middle of the night. This made it hard to make positioning adjustments in the middle of the night. By placing a strip of the glow in the dark tape at the bottom I can easily tell which way to hold it and I’d know which buttons were for adjusting the head or foot of the bed. Another example of how I have used it is on my chair lift. The chair’s armrests and seat can fold up when not in use allowing easier access for others to use the stairs. But, again I would have trouble seeing where the seat and armrest were in the dark. Adding the tape provides a visual reminder that the chair lift is there and helps me know where to grab when pulling the seat and armrest down in order to use it. Other applications could include placing it on walls down towards the floor to provide a visual guide of how to get from one room to another (bedroom to bathroom) or even emergency exit routes.
Velcro tape (also known as hook and loop tape)
Price: $19.86 for a 16 Foot Roll, 1-1/2in Width
Where to buy: https://a.co/d/7WrKsmL
How it’s helpful: My favorite use for this so far has been for storing my hairbrush upright. I also used it to mount a power strip to the back of our tv stand to bring it up off the floor and easier to reach. The velcro allows us to remove the power strip if needed to reorganize the cables or something. The tape is fairly easy to cut into whatever shape or size that’s needed. Amazon has a variety of roll sizes as well as pre-cut strips and squares.
Price: Varies
Where to buy: Amazon, Target, hardware stores etc.
How it’s helpful: I have so many command products around my room. I have small cable clips to keep my cords at a height I can reach at my desk. I have a clear plastic caddy mounted to the wall by my bed where I can store my bed remote, fan remote, kindle, and phone. I even stuck a tiny cable clip on the outside of it to keep my phone charger cord from falling down between the wall and my bed. I’ve also used the command adhesive strips on non-command products. For example, I have a few small diamond dot projects that I stuck on the inside of my bookshelf as decoration. I have also used a hand towel bar on a small 2 tiered cart to make it easier to move around my room.
Handi-Grip MAX Gel Handle Reacher by The Helping Hand Company
Price: $35.95 or $37.95 depending on the length you choose
How it’s helpful: I was hesitant to spend this much on a reacher/grabber when all the ones I’ve tried in the past didn’t work. But, the description specifically mentioned a locking feature which I was really intrigued by. The problem with others I’ve tried is being able to maintain a grip on the trigger while moving the item I’m holding. The locking feature works to address this problem! The trigger is also easier to squeeze and the grippers can rotate into two different positions. This helps to pick up items of different shapes and sizes.
Conclusion
This list is just a starting point – get creative in figuring out if there’s something that could help make life easier. You would be surprised by how everyday items can make a huge difference when going about daily life.
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