Assisitive Technology - Tablet HandPointer

iPad/Tablet HandPointer
(fits any hand)

In this pic, the pointer is emerging from Paolo's (my shipping mgr) 1st knuckle, very similar to an index finger. The iPad is mounted on my Magic Arm with Tall Tablet Holder.

ipad handpointer positioned out 3rd knuckle

This time the pointer is rotated so that the stylus emerges from Paolo's 1st knuckle (the 'bottom' of his hand), which works well when the iPad is flat or up to a 30 degree angle, on a tray or desk.

(In both pics, I'm showing my Spell-A-Word app with its unique 1-row-at-a-time keyboard. It also allows the regular iOS keyboard as well as an external USB keyboard, like my BIG BLUE Colored-Row LARGE key keyboard.)
(Click any pic to see it larger!)

Love the iPad! Love how it's changed our fields of AT/AAC so radically! But people that cannot point with a finger cannot access the beautiful interface and computing experience, from instructional materials, to web surfing, email, Facebook, Twitter, and all that able-bodied persons take for granted.

For those that find accessing the iPad directly ('direct select') to be a challenge, but don't want to resort to an assistive device (such as my iPad VoiceOver Controller, or a switch interface that gives 'global' ipad access), then, if they have fine motor control over their hand, I can *give* them a pointer finger! ;-)

image of
ipad handpointer through 1st knuckle

Stylus emerges between 1st & 2nd knuckles

Same stylus position but showing open hand and secure strapping

image of
ipad handpointer through 2nd knuckle

Here the plastic cylinder has been rotated a bit so that the stylus emerges from 2nd knuckle

(Rememeber, you can click a pic to see it larger!)

With my spiffy Velcro strap, that secures around the hand *and* the wrist, and can be cut to need, my HandPointer can be positioned in many positions.

In this picture, I've hacksawed about 1.5" off of the stylus,leaving 1" still exposed.

Now you *will* need a mount to hold the iPad/tablet in just the right position. Consider one my Tablet Mounts, please.

* A note about skin contact with the stylus: You can see that skin contact with the stylus is automatic just by the way the stylus emerges through the fingers. With the stylus intact, skin contact is actually not even necessary, making this a 'capacitive' handpointer. When you shorten the stylus, skin contact is necessary. But it happens anyway, so you don't need to do anything special at all :-)

Correct strapping

Click pics for larger images!

Pics showing attachment of Velcro Strap

image
1 of velstrap attachment to left hand

Step 1 with left hand

Purchase

H-88 - iPad/Tablet HandPointer.....$29

Purchase