Blog 6-Accessible Fart Machines

There is a Ted talk by Holly Cohen called "Accessible Fart Machines and handless video game controllers." In this talk she describes the need for toys to be altered so that individuals with disabilities can do what they love: play with toys. When a toy company makes a toy, the toy is produced for the masses. Individuals with disabilities may not be considered when the toy is made, but that does not mean they still do not wan to play with the toy. Holly Cohen has been working to make toys accessible to individuals with disabilities. The way to make toys accessible is very simple All that is required is a twenty-five cent mono-jack. It can be adapted to most toys. Holly Cohen said something that really stood out to me. She described the need for devices to be built to the need of each persons ability, rather than build a generic adaptability device that will not help all. I really like the perspective that she has. This is a perspective that all OT's should embrace. I found myself embracing this in the activity analysis assignment for OT school. I took a non traditional approach. I wanted to analyze how to participate in a Nerf gun war. I loved doing this analysis! By far one on the most practice things OT school has taught me. In doing my research to understand a Nerf gun, my next door neighbor built a blow dart Nerf gun for his two year old son, because he could not pull even the simplest of triggers. This idea my neighbor had, got me to thinking how this could be used in OT school. A blow dart gun could be used for someone with a C3-C4 SCI or someone who has breathing issues and needs a fun alternative to strengthen their lungs (like COPD). I would love to find more ways to change the outside of the gun to make it appear like a real Nerf gun, so that there is no discrimination in the outward appearance of the gun. Most kids and adults recognize what a Nerf gun looks like. The blow dart Nerf gun will not be any different, it will just work differently from a traditional Nerf gun.