HOW TO MAKE A SWITCH Loudoun County Public Schools Stacy McBain and Judie Schoonover Assistive Technology Trainers www.lcps.org/at

Hot glue gun and (optional) SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED: Hot glue gun and (optional) soldering iron Double-sided mounting tape CD case Copper foil 3.5 mm male jack Craft items to decorate the switch: fun foam with adhesive back, felt, bottle top, googly-eyes

Using scissors, cut and separate the wires on the 3.5 mm jack Pull the wires apart so that you have 2 wires about 4” in length.

Using scissors or wire strippers, strip about ¾” to 1” of the wire coating, exposing the copper wire.

Pull wire ends with exposed copper through the hole so that each piece reaches to opposite ends of the case. Use soldering iron to pierce a hole in the middle of the opened CD case.

Affix one piece of double sided mounting tape to each end of the CD case. Press the exposed copper into the tape. Place copper foil over the copper wire and press down to make sure the copper foil is firmly in contact with copper from wires.

Test your switch by plugging in a switch accessible toy (or as seen here, an AAC device) using the 3.5 mm jack. Close the CD case, pressing down on the top. The copper sections from each end should match up and make contact with each other activating the toy or device.

Decorate your switch to make it fun and engaging. Other animals: Frog Monkey Bear Turtle