I am writing to express my gratitude for your Makers Program… for a life-changing, custom-made device.
I am a sixty-some-year-old woman who invested in several battery-operated pieces of lawn equipment… In my effort to reduce pollution, I ended up with several batteries that have to be removed from the equipment, placed on chargers, then removed from the chargers and returned to the equipment…
The particularly unsolvable problem for me was getting those large batteries off the chargers. My hand isn’t large enough to grasp the full width of a battery with the strength to pull it free from the charging dock, and I have both osteoarthritis and lupus arthritis in my hands. The task wasn’t difficult – it was impossible.
Last summer, I came to IATP with one battery and one charger, and [an IATP staff member] made a simple, durable plastic device that slides under the battery and, with minimal pressure, releases it from the charging dock without contacting the pins. Before that, aware of the danger, the only way I could complete this task was to carefully pry the battery loose with a large flathead screwdriver – turning off the power strip first and being careful never to touch the metal pins. Each of these six batteries costs $250 to replace, and I was slowly damaging their plastic casings by prying them loose this way.
I use the device [the IATP staff member] made almost daily through spring, summer, and fall. Every time I do, I quietly thank IATP and [that staff member] for making it possible for me to use the equipment I purchased.
I wish the whole world knew about the Makers Program, and about this device specifically… That small piece of custom-made plastic is the only thing standing between me and the independence to care for my two-acre property. I’ve always said that when I can no longer take care of this property, I’ll move. So, truly, that piece of plastic is the only thing keeping me in my home.
I don’t have the words to express my gratitude. Thank you, and your staff, for this lift-up to continued independence.
Sincerely,
Sharon M
To read more stories like this, visit the IATP Maker website!
