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ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES. ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES. There are many types of tools, equipment, techniques and practices that can be used in a program of horticulture for special populations.
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ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES • There are many types of tools, equipment, techniques and practices that can be used in a program of horticulture for special populations. • There are many ways to adapt these techniques to meet the needs of a special population
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES Adaptations needed will depend on the limitations & needs of the each special population. Examples of disabilities for which adaptations would be available include • Visual impairments • Arthritis • Paralysis • use of a wheelchair • lack of strength in one or another part of the body • poor fine motor coordination • inability to understand and remember complex practices
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES Enabling Tools: Any tool, product, or piece of equipment can be enabling. Most tools have already been well designed to perform a task quickly and with ease. In horticultural therapy the goal is to redesign or adapt the tools and equipment to meet the needs of a special population.
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Enabling Tools • Light weight tools made of plastic, fiberglass or aluminum - aluminum or plastic watering cans and wands - aluminum or plastic or fiberglass handles for shovels, hoes, etc. - plastic trays, pots, and other containers - vinyl hose • Tools that are shorter or longer than usual - short handles, light weight children’s hoes, rakes, shovels for use by a person who uses a wheel chair - tools with adjustable, telescoping handles to vary the length for persons of different height, especially those who have limited ability to bend
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Enabling Tools • Tools with larger, thicker handles for those who can not grasp well • Garden tools with extra handles to increase the ability to grasp them • Garden tools that require less effort to perform a task - swivel hoes - shuffle hoes - shears with extra leverage joints to allow pruning with limited strength in hands and arms - cut and hold pruning shears
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Enabling Tools • Reachers that extend one’s ability to reach plants and other objects - reachers of varied lengths - reachers with various heads to do different tasks - reachers with different handles • Devices that allow raising and lowering of hanging baskets • Tools with bright colored handles for easy recognition
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Enabling Tools • Adaptations for existing tools - foam rubber handle padding - added handles for extra grip - mold handle grip to shape tool handle to persons hand - universal cuff
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Enabling Tools • Adaptations for existing tools - foam rubber handle padding - added handles for extra grip - mold handle grip to shape tool handle to persons hand - universal cuff
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities • Garden and greenhouse designs to allow access to persons who use wheel chairs, walkers and other aids - height of raised beds - height of benches - width of walkways - spacing between benches - size of door way - surfacing material, grade changes, etc
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA Americans with Disabilities Act • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) establishes the legal framework for the current accessibility and enabling guidelines as a component of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. • ADA has had far-reaching implications to employers, businesses, educational institutions and the approximately 43 million persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. • One purpose of ADA is protection for persons with disabilities against discrimination in economic, educational and vocational opportunities.
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA ADA establishes a three-part definition of disability: • 1. A person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities • 2. A person with record of such impairment • 3. A person who is regarded as having such impairment
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA 1. A person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities • caring for oneself • performing manual tasks, • walking • seeing • hearing • breathing • speaking • learning • working
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA 2. A person with record of such impairment • includes persons with a medical diagnosis in remission • person recovering from substance abuse or mental illness)
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA 3. A person who is regarded as having such impairment • persons who may be discriminated against, solely on the perceptions of others -ex. someone who is HIV positive but without symptoms - ex. a person with a facial disfigurement that does not affect job performance in any way
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities / ADA • ADA requires that places of public accommodation be physically accessible. • Standards may vary for new, existing and altered facilities. • All new construction since 1993 must be accessible and usable by persons with disabilities. • Existing facilities must remove structural barriers if easily accomplished and with little expense. • Alterations and construction must conform to the specifications of ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities • A standard wheelchair height is • 20 inches to the seat, • 29 inches to the armrest, • 36 inches to the handlebar pushers. • Width averages 25 to 30 inches and • Length of 30 to 42 inches is typical. • Minimum ground space to accommodate a single wheelchair and occupant is 30 inches X 48 inches.
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Wheel Chair Adaptations • Vertical change no greater than ¼ inch • Width of passage ways, paths, etc. • 36 inch minimal width of passageway or path • 48 inch width to allow person using wheelchair and person standing to pass • 60 inch to allow two wheel chairs to pass • 60 inch to allow a wheel chair user to turn around • In aisles less than sixty inches wide a passing space 60 inches X 60 inches must be designated no less than every 200 feet
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Wheel Chair Adaptations Slope • 2% slope for an incline (1% slope = drop of 1 inch per 100 inches or 1 ft. per 100 feet) • 5% slope for a ramp • Maximum 8% slope for ramp (1 inch per foot) • ramp should not exceed specified lengths for the slope, • the greater the slope, the shorter the ramp • a 1:12 to 1:16 slope should not rise more than 30 inches or have a length more than 30 feet • to have a greater change in height than 30 inches, the ramp must be broken up by landings of specified minimal dimension • 2% cross slope on any surface
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Wheel Chair Adaptations Reach • ranges vary • maximum high forward reach is 48 inches • minimum low forward reach is 15 inches • A person reaching over a table with his or her legs extended beneath has an average reach of 20 inches • Maximum high side reach is 54 inches • Low side reach is 9 inches. • A person reaching over a table approaching from the side has a maximum 24 inch side reach if an object is the height of the armrest • no greater should be greater than 34 inches.
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Wheel Chair Adaptations Ground and floor surfaces • Accessible routes and in accessible rooms must be - stable - firm - slip resistant • If gratings are in walking routes, the spaces must be no greater than one-half inch in any one direction • If there is a rise in any walking route with a slope greater than 1:20, a ramp must be installed • The least possible slope should be designed into any ramp, but not to exceed a slope of 1:12 with a maximum length of 30 inches per rise
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities Paving requirements • paths and paved areas must be smooth, level and firm • surface must provide good traction at all times • hand rails may be necessary as a barrier on sloped paths and other areas or when additional support is needed for safety by the gardener with compromised balance
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities Paths • Provide direct routes through the garden • Paths should have a sharp textural contrast at the edge, raised edging may be necessary • Use textural change across the path as a signal to people with visual impairments of grade changes, approaching entrances and exits, etc. • The strip should be about 12 to 18 inches wide and made of any contrasting paving materials • Reduce glare and heat absorption
ADAPTIVE TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND TECHNIQUES: Facilities Surfaces • Surface should have ability to cushion falls • Soft surface options: turf, packed soil, crushed limestone, gravel, decomposed granite, screenings of number 9 crushed stone • hard surface paving options: concrete (plain, brushed, exposed aggregate), pavers, decorative asphalt, brick, wood