By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff
I started my Monday morning with a thunderstorm and that has me thinking about AT for summer weather.
Here are some of my favorite items that we have in our Small Changes Big Differences kit that are available for you to see/try at Disability Network West Michigan (Muskegon), The Disability Network (Flint), Disability Network Oakland Macomb, Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL—Upper Peninsula) and our newest partner, Area Agency on Aging Region 2 (Lenawee/Jackson/Hillsdale).
The VersaCart—I use this cart as I travel the state showing people low-cost assistive technology. It has served me well for more than 6 years. It is made of a heavy-duty washable canvas and is built on the chassis of a stroller for easy folding and storage. It also has a cover you can Velcro on to protect the items you are transporting in a rainstorm. My colleague uses it to grocery shop. It is easy to maneuver and still quite rugged.
The Midland Public Alert Radio—give yourself some peace of mind by getting a head’s up from the National Weather Service that bad weather is headed your way. This system has voice, tone, and visual read out alert capabilities. It also has an input so you can add a strobe light alert.
The handybar for cars—when its raining it helps to be able to get in and out of cars quickly and
as easily as possible. This device helps you get a stable platform to push up from.
A couple other things that might be helpful:
The Sportbrella—for hands free umbrella coverage from sun or rain, this could clamp to your wheelchair or walker or the VersaCart.
A rain poncho—most big box stores carry these, or in an emergency, you can make one out of trash bag. Bigger ponchos can cover you and your wheelchair or other AT. They fold up and some even come in their own carrying case. A good item to have on hand.
What items do you keep on hand for summer weather?
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