• Telephones
  
• Intercoms
  
• Home control systems
  
• Alarm and warning systems
  

Telephones

The Internet has enhanced my life a great deal. I'm an amateur writer, and the World Wide Web has been a great research tool for my writing projects. I have been able to converse with some great people about many different things. By using a computer I am more independent than I would be otherwise. The computer has been the impetus for some of the best things I feel I've ever done. I use a wheelchair, my hand/eye coordination and balance are very poor, but the computer allows me to function as a productive member of society.

Telephone jacks are best placed near electrical outlets, since computers, fax, and answering machines also need power. General advice is to have at least one phone jack in each room where you are likely to spend more than a few minutes at a time.

A telephone line is also a lifeline. A speaker phone with a speed-dial button might only require pressing one or two buttons, without having to pick up the handset, in order to make an emergency call. There are services that allow you to carry an alarm button which will make an automatic phone call to a healthcare facility or security agency. Some medical equipment can have similar features, in which a phone call is made if the machine experiences a shutdown that could be life-threatening. Dedicated phone lines might be needed in these cases.

Many telephone companies have disability programs to provide special equipment. For example, Pacific Bell gives people speaker phones or headsets free of charge once you and your physician fill out the application.

Telephones are available with large, lighted buttons which are easy to press. Quadriplegics with little arm movement can freely access the telephone via puff-and-sip control systems that allow them to choose from a preprogrammed list of numbers or dial a new one. Hands-free telephone access is possible.

Remote--or cordless--telephones are very helpful. It can take some time to get to a fixed telephone set--for instance, if you are not in your wheelchair when the phone rings--and you might miss calls. (You can let people who call you regularly know that you might need more time to answer.) A remote phone goes where you go, which is especially helpful in the bathroom. These products have improved a great deal in recent years. The sound quality is good, multiple channels are available in case you get static, and 2.4 GHz phones can have a range of 1,000 feet or more.

Now that I have a remote phone, I never miss calls. I can take it in the bathroom or outside. I never hear someone hanging up just as I pick up the phone because it took me a little longer to get there--especially if I'm doing the dishes, because I have to dry my hands before I can touch the wheels, whereas someone who walks can dry their hands as they walk to the phone.

Intercoms

There are two types of intercom systems. One uses its own wiring, usually threaded through the wall cavities--an approach which provides the clearest sound. Wiring is best done during new construction, but is possible to install in an existing home; surface conduits can be used.

The other type of intercom system uses carrier current. The intercom is integrated into electrical wiring, which carries the signal alongside the electricity. Components plug into outlets in order to transmit the signals. Some static is picked up from the shared wiring. These systems are generally less expensive than intercoms with their own wiring.

Home control systems

• Control the volume of televisions or sound systems
• Adjust lights
• Lock and unlock or open and close doors and windows
• Control heating and ventilation
• Turn on appliances of all kinds
• Use telephone systems

The functioning of a home control system also relies on the installation of appropriate mechanisms such as automatic door closers. Each home control system may provide some of its own mechanisms for doors and windows. Appliances you already own might not be compatible with some control products.

As with intercoms, there are hard-wired versions and carrier current types of home control systems. The X-10 standard is an example of a carrier current type of system. Modules are purchased which plug into power outlets and then the appliances to be controlled. Such a system can be expanded over time, as your budget allows.

Everything is working fine with the X-10 protocol; I've never had a problem. It controls lights, electric devices, temperature (heating/air conditioning), built-in alarm system and medic-alert, with scenarios that you can program. For instance, when I enter the bathroom, the lights fade in by themselves and fade out after a predetermined number of minutes. You can control everything either by phone, with a remote, or by a touch-screen panel.

The X-10 product came out as a consumer product--not a disability access/adaptive technology product.

Alarm and warning systems

Warning alarms include smoke, fire, and gas detectors. The alarm design should consider a variety of sensory needs. A buzzer or siren for warning might not be sufficient. Products are available with strobe lights which can waken sighted people from a deep sleep and thus also serve people with hearing disabilities.

Check alarm batteries often. Smoke and heat sensors need to be placed high up on a wall or on the ceiling, since heat rises. Provide some means for a person with a disability to turn off the alarm, even if that is with a broom handle kept nearby. Some homes and apartment complexes have systems which notify a security office or the police or fire station in the event of fire or emergency. Be sure that everyone in the household knows the codes for setting and defeating these systems.