Handicap Control of Button Switch with Toggle Attachment

pinshape

  This project was originally designed for V-LINC, a non-profit of volunteers that specialize in Medical engineering solutions. As a new volunteer, I was assigned to solve the problem. A client who held a position as an telephone operator was sometimes dropping calls that needed to be transferred. The problem was analysed and the discovery was that the client did not have the dexterity to hold the off-hook button down long enough to guarantee transfer. The solution I came up with involved designing a small 3d printed box that snapped on top of the off-hook button. Inside the box was a large toggle mechanism that snapped in to position by pushing or swiping across the toggle part. The bottom of one side extended enough to push the off-hook button down to engage the switch. The operator can now transfer calls with out trying to hold the button down long enough to transfer a call. Dropped calls became a thing of the past and the special needs client is now successfully performing his duties. This entry is not just intended to show the solution but to show how this simple concept can be used to convert any push button into a toggle switch of any size. Projects for children, handy-caped, elderly, or any application that might benefit from having a larger or easier means of controlling a switch. A complete description and video can be found at the following website. http://www.instructables.com/id/Toggle-Switch-Assistive-Technology/