Rehabilitation Engineering Service Delivery

Computer Access: Includes assistive hardware devices, adaptive software and specialized programming strategies to enable alternative access.

Examples include: single-switch access, alternative keyboards, pointing devices, voice recognition software, screen readers, Braille printers and the use of macros.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: evaluating client's abilities and needs, on-site installation and training, custom designing of systems to meet special needs, and determining hardware and software specifications based on the vocational, educational, and recreational needs of the client.

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Vehicle Modification: Includes the structural modifications and addition of adaptive driving aids that enable a person with a disability to drive or be transported.

Examples include: lowered floors, raised roofs, wheelchair and occupant restraint systems, hand controls, left-foot accelerators and joystick driving systems.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: specification of control systems and van modifications, design, and pre-delivery inspections.

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Environmental Control Units: Includes those devices that enable a person with a disability to operate electrical or electronic equipment remotely.

Examples include: appliance modules, lighting modules, power directors for computer systems and power door remotes.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: evaluating the client's abilities and needs, determining specifications of environmental control (EC), designing and fabricating ECs for specific needs, training, set-up, and installing the EC.

Environmental Control Unit Links

Ten Tips That Help You Select the Right ECU
Tells what to look for when selecting an environmental control unit.

Disability and Medical Resource Mall
List of links to companies that offer products and services in the area of environmental controls.

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Seating/Positioning: Includes powered mobility and specialized seating systems.

Examples include: scooters, sip-n-puff power wheelchair drive, custom laptray design, foam-in-place cushions, contour seating systems, nonproportional joystick drive and hemi-chairs.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining the specifications for wheelchairs, and designing and fabricating products for specific seating and positioning needs.

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Home Modification: Includes the modification of the entrance/egress of a home for independent entry/exit, the modification of a bathroom for independent hygiene and the modification of a room for home-based employment.

Examples include: lifts, ramps, stairglides, grab bars, roll-in showers, door width adjustments and swing-away hinges.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: evaluating existing structures, designing and fabricating products for specific needs, determining accomodations needed to provide the client the greatest independence, improving the comfort and usefulness of the home without creating a "clinical" atomosphere, and integrating and/or modifying existing aids for daily living (ADLs) as needed to increase a client's independence.

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Augmentative Communication Devices: Includes portable programmable computerized devices equipped with voice output to provide a "voice" for an individual who is non-verbal.

Examples include: Touch-Talker, Light-Talker, Liberator, Communilight, Say-It-All, direct-selection devices, scanning and single-switch access devices.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining specifications to fit the client's needs and abilities, training, modifying or custom designing an augmentative communication system to meet the desired goals and specifications.

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Job-Site Modification: Includes modifications to the job, workstation, tools, equipment, facility or environmental conditions that will enable an individual with a disability to perform a particular job.

Examples include: adapted tool handles, noise abatement, custom workstation design, power assists, tool balancers, alternative equipment activators, blade guards, jigs, fixtures, ergonomic chairs and wrist supports.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining accessibility to existing facilities, supporting employers' needs through education and training, evaluating essential functions of the job and client's abilities, incorporating client's capabilities into an effective task production, designing new or modify existing tools, machinery and jigs to increase client's productivity, and applying the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.

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Rural/Farm Adaptations: Includes devices, strategies and modifications to enable a farmer with a disability to manage and/or work on the farm.

Examples include: tractor seating lifts, hand controls, adaptive farming implements, audible location devices and specialized feeding systems.

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Assistive Devices for Hearing Impairments/Deafness: Includes adaptive devices specifically designed to compensate for hearing loss or deafness.

Examples include: TTYs, vibrating pagers, visual alarms, amplification equipment, frequency shifting devices, assistive listening devices and induction coils.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining specifications to fit the client's needs and abilities, training, and modifying or customizing equipment to meet the desired goals and specifications.

Hearing Impairment/Deafness Links

Gallaudet University
Contains a comprehension listing of organizations that provide services for the deaf. For example, the site contains a link to the MSU Deaf Electronic Resources, Closed Captioning information, and TTY Technologies.

Disability and Medical Resource Mall
List of links to companies that offer products and services in the area of hearing impairment and deafness.

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Assistive Devices for Visual Impairment/Blindness: Includes adaptive devices specifically designed to compensate for low or no vision.

Examples include: CCTVs, illuminated magnifiers, Braillers, raised marking measurement devices, volt/ohmmeter with auditory output and level indicators.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining specifications to fit the client's needs and abilities, training, and modifying or customizing equipment to meet the desired goals and specifications.

Visual Impairment/Blindness Links

American Printing House for the Blind
Contains information on products, services, and technological solutions for persons with visual impairments or blindness.

Disability and Medical Resource Mall
List of links to companies that offer products and services in the area of visual impairment and blindness.

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Assistive Devices for Deaf/Blind: Includes devices which compensate for dual sensory impairment.

Examples include: Braille/LCD dual keyboard input communicators, Hot Dots, vibrating alarms, jigs, fixtures, organizational units and tacitly marked hand tools.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining specifications to fit the client's needs and abilities, training, and modifying or customizing equipment to meet the desired goals and specifications.

Deaf/Blind Links

National Information Clearinghouse on Children Who Are Deaf-Blind
Provides information on resources for persons who are deaf and blind.

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Adapted Prosthetics/Orthotics: Includes custom add-on devices or attachments to prosthetics/orthotics to enable a person with a disability to perform a specific task.

Examples include: quick release wrist attachment for hand prosthesis of auto mechanic, sander support using wrist orthosis for autobody worker and specialized gripper for hand prosthesis of dairy farmer.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: determining specifications to fit the client's needs and abilities, and modifying or customizing equipment to meet the desired goals and specifications.

Prosthetics/Orthotics Links

Orthotics and Prosthetics
Contains a comprehensive library on products in the area of orthotics and prosthetics.

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Aids for Daily Living: Includes low tech devices to assist in activities of daily living.

Examples include: reachers, spring-loaded scissors, knob turners, lift and transfer devices dressing aids and adaptive kitchen utensils.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: specifying appropiate equipment to provide the client with the greatest independence.

Aids for Daily Living Links

Disability and Medical Resource Mall
List of links to companies that offer aids for daily living.

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Miscellaneous: Includes other specialty areas of technology dealt with occasionally: functional electrical stimulation, robotics, lighting, air quality, adaptive toys, and recreational equipment.

Rehabilitation Engineering services may include: fabrication, custom design, troubleshooting, providing follow-up assistance, arranging all necessary inspections for construction, and acquiring bids and overseeing construction to ensure compliance with standards.

Miscellaneous Links

Switches
Information compiled by the Rehabilitation Engineering Training Program students at Wright State University. The site provides information on switches which provide access to electrical devices for disabled individuals.

Disability and Medical Resource Mall
List of links to companies that provide products for sports and recreation.