Mini Grabber-Tongs

This $10 tech device just turned up at IATP. No one is sure how it got there, or who to credit for this ingenious device. But we had to share it with our readers. It's a little homemade grabber/reacher.

• One 3/4" dowel rod - 1" section

• Two wood tongue depressors

• Wood glue

Simply glue the tips of the tongue depressors to each side of the dowel rod (see picture). That's it! You're done!

• Remove toast and bagels from the toaster

• Grab pickles, olives, cherries from a jar

• Pull a cookie from the jar

• Grab one piece of candy from the dish

• Remove a letter from the envelope

• Pick up a rubber band from the container

Use your imagination and see how many uses you can find for the tiny grabber.

Oven Stick

This nifty idea comes from Sherry Edwards, Director of Information and Assistance at IATP. It's practical, useful and best of all, free! If you use a wheelchair and cook your own meals you know how hard it is to pull oven racks from the oven. The door creates a barrier. Some people have to nearly fall out of their chair to get to the rack.

Materials List

• One 12" wood ruler or strip of wood 12-15 " long, 1" wide and 1/8 inch thick;
• Saw or knife.

• Using a knife or jigsaw, carve or cut a rounded U on one end of the ruler or stick. (see marks in picture below.)
• Measure down 2" from the top on one side of the ruler or stick and cut a curved slot as pictured.

Variation

If holding the oven stick is difficult, consider building up the handle with pipe insulation, tape, polymer tape, or oven mitt.

That's it! The curved slot can be placed over or under the oven shelf to pull it out. Use the U-shape to push the rack back into the oven.*

This is not only handy for people who use wheelchairs, but is also helpful for someone with a shorter reach.

* Always use caution when working with hot materials.

Custom Moisture Guards

Create moisture guards for anything... Remote controls, keyboards, MP3 players, environmental control units, etc... and they are so easy to make. This idea comes from Cilla Sluga, Editor of TechTalk.

Materials List

• 1 box of window insulation. The smaller/cheaper kits are fine. Price $8-15.00.
• 1 hand-held blow dryer

Directions

• cut a piece of shrink-wrap about twice the size of the object you want to cover.
• wrap the object up (trim edges if necessary)
• tape the open end with the tape that came with the kit set the blow dryer to its hottest setting
• blow over the shrink-wrap until it fits snugly around the device.

That's it! It works on anything.