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Special holders are available on which a tie can be knotted and held in place by a
piece of elastic round the collar.. A glove for a one-handed person can be put on without help
by sewing a loop of tape on to the back edge of the glove, hanging it by the loop on to a hook
on the wall and pushing the hand into the glove. Resistance to the push is maintained by the
loop over the hook. Loops on the edge of jacket or long arm dress sleeves, to go over the
thumb and little finger, will prevent these sleeves riding up when the outer garments are
pulled on.
Aids for holding materials and for the threading of needles enable the one-handed to
sew, and electric sewing machines can be operated by putting the foot-control on the table and
operating it with the elbow if the user has last the use of her legs.
Being independent of others' ministrations, however, is only the beginning of rehabilitation.
The handicapped need guidance in performing duties which will enable them to become an
asset in the households in which they live, or in the places of their employment, and eventually
to become the helper instead of the helped. The more useful a handicapped person can become
the more secure is his or her position whether it be in the home or in the factory. A woman's
greatest desire is to be able to look after her family herself and as she spends most of her
time in the kitchen this is as good a point as any from which to start off on the needs for
suitable gadgets and adaptations.
It is important that attention be paid to the position of doors which will include the
back door, the inner door to the kitchen and larder and cupboard doors, and of the sink unit,
cooking stove and work tops. The most practical layouts are in a U shape or L shape, at a
height suitable for the individual according to whether she is seated in a wheelchair, on a
swivel-seated chair, or standing. All tops of sink, cooker and work benches should be at the
same height to allow saucepans and dishes to be slid instead of being lifted from one position
to another. For most disabled and old people the split stove, oven next to boiling rings, is
the safest type of cooker. It removes the necessity to stoop at the oven and allows all cooking
to be seen and reached at between waist and chest level. Sinks should be of the shallow type,
about 5" deep inside 6" outside and fixed at about 33" top edge above the floor. For those
who stand the bottom of the sink is not too low and for those who sit the top is not too high
and the bottom will not get in the way of the user's knees. Taps are best at one corner of the
sink with a central swivel tap for both hot and cold water. The tap should send a jet out to
the middle of the sink and not straight down to the back of the sink. By swivelling the tap
over the draining board it is possible to fill a saucepan or kettle ready to slide on to the cooker
and thus obviate the necessity of having to lift up a full utensil which is usually too heavy
for a handicapped person to do.
Shallow drawers under a worktop for cookery tools and shelves not too high above the
worktop on which pots and jars may be placed, save considerable movement to and fro. A
V-shaped bottle-top opener can be fixed below the bottom shelf to allow aone-handed person to
perform an otherwise impossible operation. A sliding board under the worktop pierced with
various sized holes in which mixing bowls and basins may be rested help the one-handed to
mix pastry and beat cake mixture. A paint roller which has been adapted by fitting a wooden
roller instead of the usual lambswool or rubber roller, will make an ideal one-handed rollingpin.
A walking trolley with trough arm supports on top and cut-back lower shelf to allow
movement of legs, and a top shelf level with work-top, provides a carrying and walking aid for
someone who needs support in walking at the same time as needing help in carrying items from
one part to another part of the kitchen or to another room.
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