Handicapped tools are pieces of equipment that provide individuals with disabilities the means to get by in the day-to-day world without being totally dependent on others. Just as a lever allows a person to lift a weight that they could never pick up bare-handed, handicapped tools enable those with physical challenges to overcome obstacles that might otherwise be insurmountable. J. Rose Plaxen describes how parents and caregivers can easily create an entire range of handicapped tools out of common everyday objects in her book "Adapt My World."
Handicapped tools can enrich the lives of those who are differently-abled by making it easy for them to accomplish challenging tasks that are routine for most people. By providing children with disabilities the means to navigate their homes, schools and playgrounds, handicapped tools foster independence and promote self-esteem in their users. A child who can attend school and play games at recess with his or her peers is more likely to fit in and feel like a member of the group.
"Adapt My World" is a cookbook style guide that provides step-by-step instructions for creating the tools a child can use to overcome his or her physical limitations and become a productive member of the household, the school and the community. Such simple, inexpensive items as foam hair curlers and Velcro fasteners can be all it takes to make tools that enable a child to sit at the dinner table, hold a pencil or play a game of catch with his or her friends.
A new car comes with a detailed owner manual, and new child comes with a wealth of how-to books, but unfortunately, resources for raising a disabled child are few. When J.Rose Plaxen realized her daughter was "differently abled" she decided to change this by writing Adapt My World: Homemade Adaptations for People with Disabilities, a home remedy-style book consisting of recipes for parents, educators and family members. "Our world, public or private, is not accommodating for differently abled individuals," said J.Rose Plaxen. "It's up to the individual who is taking care of each child to make their world truly their own. This book is filled with common-sense modifications that have an immediate and enormous impact on improving the daily lives of these children."
Adapt My World is the first such guide offering simple adaptations for many aspects of a child's life. Veteran parents, therapists, and teachers have handed down plenty of adaptations, but few have been printed for public viewing. Now families have a manual to guide them in accommodating their child's world. Adapt My World offers adaptations for the "differently abled" child at home, school, and play to achieve similar goals, tasks, and desires of an "abled" child.
