Page 56 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue
P. 56
CREDIT: LUNA AZUL PERMANENT HOUSING
A place to call home. The Luna
Azul subdivision in Phoenix
offers the disabled a chance to
own their own house.
One of the harder things for disabled persons can be to nd a Hands are capable of a lot of
place to live. Luna Azul’s product is just that: a home. As the rst things. Persons suering from
residential subdivision designed for adults with developmental or two disabilities—loss of sight
acquired disabilities, homeowners have access to specially tailored and hearing, or persons who are
services, vocational opportunities, and the ability to customize their “deafblind”—have had to com-
homes to meet their needs. The Phoenix-based, gated community municate using tactile alpha-
also provides a safe place for the disabled to interact with their bets, where different parts of
neighbors, and is a money saver for owners and their families when the hand are pinched or pressed CREDIT: PRINTACT
compared to the cost of long term care or assisted living facilities. to identify specic letters. Tak-
Homes are two- and three-bedroom structures priced from $300,000 ing a 21st century turn is the Talk to the hand. Deafblind persons—
to $500,000. More than one-third of the units have already been sold, dbGLOVE, a ve-ngered sen- those who are blind and deaf—will be
and the complex doesn’t open until summer. sor-based device that turns tac- able to use the dbGLOVE to work on
tile alphabets into computer text. computers and smartphones just like
A CALL TO ARMS That text is then traced back onto sighted people.
Loss of a limb can be the ultimate disability, impacting mobility and the hand, making it possible for deafblind to operate computers and
sense of self. And although prosthetic limbs have existed for centuries smartphones. The product by Italian company Intact is in develop-
(the rst documented articial limb was in 1500 B.C., during the Roman ment, with a hopeful release in 2020. GB
era), they haven’t been all that attractive or lifelike until recently.
Take the Hero Arm from
Open Bionics. This is the For more information about types of assistive
world’s rst medically cer-
devices, check out the following resources:
CREDIT: CHRIS EDWARDS PRITCHARDOPEN BIONICS arm, with multi-grip func- ■ ■ ■ The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
tified 3D-printed bionic
provides detailed information on Assistive Devices for People with
tionality and empowering
Hearing, Voice, Speech or Language Disorders.
aesthetics. A lightweight
■ AbleData is a database of information on assistive technology products
and affordable myoelec-
and resources.
tric prosthesis, the unit is
specific guidance on alternative communication strategies for people who
adults and children aged
need assistance to produce or comprehend spoken or written language.
eight and above. Each arm
Prosthetics power. The Hero Arm from Open for below-elbow amputee ■ ■ PBS Parents provides examples of assistive devices, as well as some
Bionics, with its precision construction, could (or hand) is custom made ■ ■ The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has information about
put good old Six Million Dollar Man Steve and controlled by the us- available assistive technology to help people with impaired mobility or
Austin to shame. er’s muscles, with intuitive other disabilities drive motor vehicles.
lifelike precision—the ngers even have actual metal tendons for ■ ■ The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of
smoother motion. There is also a breathable, removable socket for North America describes standards for different types of assistive
enhanced ventilation and ease of cleaning. technology on its website.
54 GREEN BUILDER May/June 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com
52-54 GB 0519 Disabilities with Tech.indd 54 5/8/19 4:11 PM
