Stair lifts are great accessories for the physically handicapped, enabling them to climb stairways without much effort. As accessing different floors of the house or office is a basic requirement for most people, stairlifts are a must for the mobility impaired as well as the aged. In the olden days, physically disabled people used to get the help of caretakers for climbing stairways. The presence of caretakers constantly by one’s side might affect one’s privacy. Moreover, caretakers are a rather expensive prospect nowadays. Therefore, with the coming of the stairlift, people have started investing in this accessibility product because of the lesser investment required and the long-term use it promises.

Stair lifts have a chair or seat for carrying the individual, a rail for dragging the chair through the rail and a motor for driving the chair. Two types of stairlifts are available in the market, straight rail stairlift and curved rail stairlift. Straight rail stairlift is for straight stairways and curved rail stairlift is for curved stairways. Most of the stairlifts available in the market are electric stairlifts. Earlier, stairlifts had only AC driven motors. Now we have the option of DC powered stairlifts with rechargeable batteries. These stairlifts can be operated even during power shortage.

Depending on the user requirements, various models of stairlifts with different features are available in the market. Most of the stairlifts are provided with safety measures to protect the user. Some stairlifts have obstruction sensors which help to avoid damages to the equipment. Remote control facility is available in some stairlifts for easily controlling the stairlift. You can purchase a model to your liking, with the required features. Stairlifts for both indoor and outdoor purposes are available. The laws of some countries insist on providing stairlifts in public and commercial buildings to help the physically handicapped people move up and down more independently and securely.

It is best to buy Stair lifts of branded companies for long lasting use. Bruno, ThyssenKrupp Access, and Savaria Concord are some of the world class manufacturers of stairlifts. These brands have nationwide dealers. Those who need to buy stairlifts can contact these dealers for selecting and purchasing stairlifts from different models and brands. You can request for the service of these dealers for installation, maintenance and other associated services for your stairlift.



Thanks to Jai Gaitonde for contributing this article to our Disabilities blog:

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No matter who you are everyone wants to look their best and dress in affordable and fashionable clothing.  But very often it can be difficult for senior to find clothes that suit their needs and that makes them feel good about what they wear.  But with a little effort and knowing were your best bet to look for seniors clothing you can find clothing that not only is right for you but is comfortable and looks good.

Although finding affordable and fashionable Senior and special needs clothing can still be difficult, it is still possible to discover excellent fashions if you know where to look.  Senior and special needs clothing usually has little to no emphasis at chain stores, such as Gap, American Eagle, Abercrombie, Hollister, etc.  This does not mean that you cannot find this kind of clothing.  To find special needs that looks great, look around online.  The internet can offer a wealth of choices unavailable elsewhere.

Senior and special needs clothing can truly match some of the latest fashions.  Some buyers may find themselves settling for less.  At first glance, it may appear as though senior and special needs clothing options are severely restricted.  This can seem to be the case when it comes to senior and special needs clothing throughout the retail market.  In years past, these drab options may have been all that was available.  In more recent years, however, the senior and special needs clothing market has really opened up. 

Senior and special needs clothing options may seem very limited, but a simple look online will reveal a multitude of options that up until a few years ago simply did not exist.  A simple search for senior and special needs clothing can yield dozens if not hundreds of results in the modern fashion market.  Brick and mortar retail outlets are also bringing their choices up to date for senior and special needs clothing.  Stores like Colia & Co. cater specifically to the senior and special needs clothing market.  Other stores have also begun investing in the senior and special needs clothing market as well, creating an unprecedented level of selection.  

This is a better time than ever for senior and special needs clothing shopping, with a level of variety available that has never before been seen in this market.  Shopping online can reveal some excellent deals not find anywhere else.  Off season shopping can reveal some great discounts, with discounts as heavy as 50%.  Retailers struggle to offload excess inventory when the seasons change.  Online retailers can also bring about some great deals and discounts, slashing prices heavily.  senior and special needs clothing does not have to be drab, ordinary, or boring.  The most recent offerings in senior and special needs clothing have become quite fashionable.

Online stores have the advantage or being able to cater to these niche markets in ways that the big box stores were never able to do.  This has given seniors more choice than ever before for clothing that not only looks good but is functional as well.



Thanks to Debi Carser for contributing this article to our Disabilities blog:

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Can you answer bortiepie’s question about Disabilities?:

My mother is in a power wheelchair. She cannot transfer on her own. I would like to take her on a vacation and would like to know places, companies that are good for people in chairs.

Disabled Persons Employment

By Amanda Fuller

Choosing to homeschool your child is a huge decision. Then add to that a child with special needs. This brings up all kinds of mixed feelings, uncertainties, and emotions. I feel we tend to sell ourselves short when it comes to our children with special needs because this is uncharted territory. However, with research, resources, and much prayer you can do it. Here are ten reasons to homeschool your special needs child.

1. No one knows and understands your child’s needs better than you do.

Who is there when your child is diagnosed with a special need? Who spends a great deal of time at doctor appointments, in therapy sessions, and by their beds when they are sick? You! As parents or guardians of children with special needs, you have been through thick and thin with your child. You know and sometimes understand a need or behavior your child might be experiencing. Your knowledge of his or her needs allows you to modify your child’s schooling based on his or her needs instead of his or her needs having to conform to someone else’s teaching method or classroom rules.

2. Homeschooling provides positive socialization opportunities.

One of the most common questions we hear as homeschoolers is “What about socialization?” Something I have learned over the years is that not all socialization is good or positive—especially for a child with special needs. Developing positive relationships with Mom and Dad is one of the best experiences a child can have in life. With homeschooling you are able to help special needs children nurture and develop positive relationships with others around them. Some of the most positive socialization comes from family and friends of all different ages who help them learn to interact with adults as well as children.

3. There are fewer distractions.

When a special needs child is trying to learn, the last thing he needs is distraction. Most have to work harder to focus on their work, so when you have their attention it is important to keep it. Having them at home gives you the opportunity to keep distractions at a minimum. If you need to take that child into a separate room during instruction time and close the door so that he or she can concentrate better, you can do that. Staggering the teaching time between your special needs child and your other children is helpful.

4. You can provide one-on-one teaching.

Many special needs children require one-on-one guidance throughout their daily lives. This holds true for their education as well. You can sit down face to face with them and take as much time as needed to explain and work through the task at hand. Giving your special needs child one-on-one attention not only can help encourage and improve your relationship, but it also can give him or her a positive school experience. Also it helps you as his or her teacher to be able to see where adjustments and improvements need to be made to personalize your child’s education.

5. It gives you the ability to focus on your child’s strengths—not weaknesses.

Children with special needs face all kinds of challenges. The last thing they need in their education is negativity. You can take the subject or work area that they are strongest in and spend as much time as is needed throughout their day working on this. This can boost their confidence, providing them with an opportunity to say, “Hey, I’m good at this!” instead of feeling frustrated while working on tasks they aren’t ready for. If they have subjects that they are not as strong in or are struggling to comprehend, you can just touch on these subjects briefly throughout the teaching time. Minimize their frustration by focusing more attention on their stronger subjects.

6. Use your child’s interest or compulsive tendencies as educational tools.

My daughter with Down syndrome loves to shuffle cards repetitively on a daily basis. She rarely goes anywhere without them. So, we use them in her education. She has trivia cards that we use for reading and playing cards that we use for number order, number recognition, sequential counting, addition, and subtraction. She loves it because she is getting to use her favorite things while she is doing school.

7. Siblings or other homeschoolers can encourage and help your child with his or her schoolwork.

Siblings are fantastic teachers for your child with special needs. They are fantastic motivators. When your special needs child sees a sibling learning to write in cursive, you may very well hear these words from your special needs child: “I want to learn how to write like that.” You might find yourself teaching your special needs child something you never thought possible. If you don’t have siblings, then you can recruit a fellow homeschooler to spend time with him or her.

8. Personalize self-help and life skills to meet your child’s specific needs.

Each child with special needs has very different needs. If your special needs child is at home, you can identify his or her needs and discern what he or she needs help with to grow up to be as self-sufficient as possible as an adult. If this means that you dedicate an entire school year to teaching him or her how to feed himself or herself with a spoon or how to choose the appropriate clothing to wear for the weather outside, then that should be a part of his or her education that is just as important as math and reading. Children with special needs do have to work harder to accomplish tasks, with lots of repetition and positive reinforcement, and this holds true for self-help and life skills.

9. Teaching morals, values, and manners is also important for children with special needs.

Homeschooling your children gives you an opportunity not only to verbally teach them your family’s morals, values, and manners but also to show them by your example. Just because your child has special needs doesn’t mean that you can’t teach him or her these things too. You want him or her to have every opportunity that life can offer, just like anyone else. If we hold back on teaching our special needs children how to be respectable people in life, then we are selling them short. The instruction might have to be broken down into smaller or simpler lessons, but it can be done.

10. You can share all of the different joys, excitement, and struggles that you and your child may encounter during his education.

Teaching a child with special needs can be rewarding and yet heartbreaking. Special needs children have to work harder at school and life. There is nothing more rewarding than to see your child achieve or comprehend something that he or she has been working on for weeks, months, and possibly even years. To see that joy and excitement after such a struggle is priceless, and with them at home you are right there to share it with them. You get to see the tears of joy and struggle and even shed some yourself.

As a parent of a special needs child, I feel that we have been chosen by God to raise these precious special children. If He has laid it on your heart to home educate them, then He will be there to help guide you through the amazing journey. It may not always be easy, but with much prayer and patience it can be done.

Amanda Fuller and her husband Billy have been homeschooling their two children, the oldest of which has Down syndrome, for seven years. Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and has a newfound love for gardening. For the last ten years, she also has been a support parent for other parents of children with special needs. The Fuller family lives in western North Carolina.



©2008 The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC

www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of The Old

Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC

Reprinted with permission from the publisher.



Thanks to Amanda Fuller for contributing this article to our Disabilities blog:

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It is a significant for people in Canada with special needs such as disabilities to live their normal lives and attend to their duties with comfort and ease. This should be provided for, irrespective of whether the situation is permanent or temporary. It is equally important to ensure that the conditions and places both structural and practical are favorable to such persons. In this regard, building renovations in Ontario at home and in the office would make one realize this dream. It is essential to make some handicap modifications that would enable the handicapped to move and perform their duties easily.

Home modifications would imply that entrances to all rooms are sliding and have electric and automatic hinges. Having stair glides would be helpful too. Toronto renovation has the desirable services that would ensure that the home is designed to meet such special needs. It is not an easy task to mould a home to fit with the acceptable standards of an ideal home for special needs. The rest rooms should have sinks that are fixed to heights reachable to persons on wheelchairs. These are considerations that every builder should have in mind when erecting public structures or private cottages. But it is attainable with Toronto home renovations. Bathroom renovations and remodeling are some points to ponder on at home in a bid to cater for the needs of the handicapped.

A Toronto Kitchen would ensure that the modeling in the cooking area and other related areas have the accessibility to the special needs. It offers relaxed and comfortable premises to create flexibility inside and out of the house. Additions and renovations can be done even when the structures are all done. It needs the involvement of experts. Toronto home improvements are geared towards making the best home for the handicapped and to the whole household. One can seek the help of Toronto home renovations for professional guide and remodeling.

Toronto renovations is handy in remodeling homes and structures by restructuring the entire house, adding rooms, or removing unnecessary stuff from cottages. The convenience of gaining access to homes and rooms by the handicapped is possible when one does a realistic building or renovating. Bathroom renovations, flooring, decks, paintings, door, and basement remodeling and renovation can be easy if well-planned. All these would greatly boost the comfort of people with special abilities. It is wise to have all the systems running well for all inhabitants in and outside home environment.

Building renovations is applicable in the office and working premise as well. It is recommended that elevators be installed to facilitate movements and access to all floors by the handicapped. Some places can always afford porch lifts and this is a pretty idea that can be done by experts and advice of Mississauga and Toronto renovations. The company would help with every process of attaining a remodeling course in the offices. Handling the needs of the handicapped in the office goes beyond structures; it needs a special concern for the settings that would create sufficient office space renovation into the bargain.



Thanks to Rafi Michael for contributing this article to our Disabilities blog:

Developmental Disability Services