1. Making Switches Accessible Jill Brown M. Ed
Making Switches Accessible Jill Brown M.Ed. CTVI/COMS Michelle Johnson M.Ed. CTVI/COMS
2017 TAER PRE-Conference Corpus Christi, TX, Thursday, March 30, :00-11:00 AM

2. Making Switches Accessible
Participants in this session will discuss purpose of cause and effect learning using switches to access battery operated toys. Then using every day available materials, participants will be able to make a battery interrupter and pressure switch. This will allow a single switch battery operated toy be accessible for those children who are not able to independently activate toys. Follow up group discussion to investigate for various sites and activities to incorporate switch learning.

3. Purpose of Switch Use Having the power to make things move at the touch of a button is a wonderful thing for anyone!
Great way to begin experiencing independent control
Work to turn things on/off or indicate choices
offer access to anything electronic for students with disabilities
can develop skills for social or communication
Why adapt a toy? The importance of play is well documented. All children need opportunities to learn cause and effect, interact with the other children in a play setting, and develop fine motor and gross motor skills, all of which can carry over to a variety of educational activities. An adapted toy allows children with disabilities the same play opportunities available to other children.

4. Types of Uses for Switches
Play and Exploration: through switch us, students can independently participate in games or make choices to turn toy/activity on or off.
Computer Access: through switch use student can access games, communication devices or have access to any commercial software program
Environmental Control: through switch use, student can operate appliances such as fans, blenders, electronic plug in toys, lights, etc.
Movement: through switch use, student can use motorized mobility items such as powered wheelchairs and motorized play cars/trucks

5. Types of Switches
Push (or touch)
Lever

6. Types of Switches (cont.)
Fine-Motor Specific
Activity

7. Types of Switches (cont.)
Sensitivity
Other

8. Making a CD Switch

9. Making a CD Switch Materials Needed:
Adhesive backed copper foil sheet.  5"x10".
Adhesive backed Velcro strip.  6" of each side.  
3.5mm mono extension cable, cut it in half, and use the male end for this, and the female end to make a No-Solder Battery Interrupter
2 CDs
Scissors, Ruler, Sharpie (or other fine point marker)

10. Making a CD Switch
Use the Sharpie to trace two CDs onto the foil sheet.  Flipping the sheet over and tracing onto the backing will help to avoid smearing ink on the copper itself.
(Place the CDs close to the edge, to preserve left over foil for use in more CD Switches or No-Solder Battery Interrupters.)

11. Making a CD Switch
Use the scissors to cut out two CD-shaped pieces of foil.  Cut slightly inside the lines, so that the pieces are slightly smalled than the CDs, and will not overlap their edges.
(Cutting out the center circles is optional, and will not affect the function of the switch.)

12. Making a CD Switch
Peel the backing from one CD-shaped foil piece and attach it to one of the CDs.  Repeat for the second piece of foil, attaching it to the second CD.  Attach the foil to the bottom, label free side of the CDs, or the labels may peel off and destroy the switch.
The result will be two foil lined CDs.
(It helps to peel only a small portion of the backing, stick it to a CD, and then slowly peel off the rest of the backing as you affix the foil.  This will also help to avoid causing bubbles under the foil.)

13. Making a CD Switch
Using the ruler and scissors, measure and cut the Velcro into pieces of 1.5", 1.5", and 3".

14. Making a CD Switch
Find the two main wires in the center of your cable. Some will only have two wires, while some will have a third wire, comprised of the strands that run through the outer insulator of the wire. If you cut and stripped the cable yourself, the outer insulator strands may be splayed out. If these are in the way, twist them together, fold them back, and tape them to the cable with electrical tape.

15. Making a CD Switch
Using one of the 1.5" pieces of Velcro (hook or loop doesn't matter), attach the tip of one of the main wires to the outer edge of the copper side of the first CD.  Make sure that the bare wire makes solid contact with the copper, and that the Velcro overlaps some of the wire's plastic insulation.  Press hard and make a firm connection.

16. Making a CD Switch
Repeat the previous step, attaching the second main wire to the copper side of the second CD.  Use the opposite side (hooks or loops) of the same 1.5" piece of Velcro.  Again, make sure that the bare wire makes solid contact with the copper, and that the Velcro overlaps some of the wire's plastic insulation.
(Note that the two pieces of Velcro line up, so that they will stick to each other when the CDs are pressed together.)

17. Making a CD Switch
Apply the other pair of 1.5" pieces of Velcro (one hooks, one loops) to the opposite edges of the CDs, as shown in the image.
(Once again, note that these pieces of Velcro line up so that they will stick together when the CDs are pressed together.)

18. Making a CD Switch
Press the two CDs together, so that the Velcro lines up and sticks together, and the two wires line up at the edge of the CDs.

19. Making a CD Switch (Optional)
Stick the pair of 3" pieces of Velcro (hooks and loops) together, and attach them to one side of the CD switch, as shown in the image.
This Velcro will be used for mounting the switch.  Peel the backing from the outer piece of Velcro and press it onto a solid surface to mount it.  Simply peel apart the Velcro to remove the switch.
(Use more Velcro to create mounting points on multiple surfaces, and move the switch between them freely.)

20. Making a CD Switch
Test your new CD switch by plugging it into a switch adapted toy or device (anything controlled by a 3.5mm switch jack) and pressing the two CDs together.  When the two pieces of copper foil touch, the circuit is completed, allowing current to flow from one wire to the other.

21. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter

22. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Materials needed: - Adhesive backed copper foil sheet.  Two 1"x1" pieces.  (Possibly the scraps from making a CD Switch. The kind with a black backing makes this easier.) - Business card or small piece of poster board.  One 1"x1" piece mm mono cable with female jack. (Buy a 3.5mm mono extension cable, cut it in half, and use the female end for this, and the male end to make a CD Switch.)
Tools: - Scissors

23. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Use the scissors to cut two circles of foil, approximately 1" in diameter,
or the size of a quarter.  (This can be trimmed down later to fit smaller batteries.)

24. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Peel the backing from one of the foil circles, and use the edge of the scissors to scrap away a small patch of adhesive in the center.  Using a foil sheet with a black backing allows you to more easily what has been scraped clear.
(It helps to use the backing as a tool for handling the sticky circle of foil.)

25. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Find the two main wires in the center of your cable.  Some will only have two wires, while some will have a third wire, comprised of the strands that run through the outer insulator of the wire.  If you cut and stripped the cable yourself, the outer insulator strands may be splayed out.  If these are in the way, twist them together, fold them back, and tape them to the cable with electrical tape.

26. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Place one of the two main wires on each side of the business card (or poster board).  Be sure to leave a small amount of the plastic insulation of the wire overlapping the card.

27. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Press the circle of foil down on top of the wire, sticking it firmly to the card.  Make sure that the bare, scraped patch touches the bare wire, and that some of the wire's plastic insulation is stuck between as well.

28. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Flip the card over and repeat steps 3-6 for the other side.  Peel the backing from the other circle of foil, scape off a small patch of adhesive, and use the circle to attach the second main wire to the opposite side of the card.  Again, make sure that the bare patch of foil touches the bare wire, and that some of the wire's plastic insulation overlaps.

29. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Use the scissors to cut around the outside of the foil, leaving a small amount of the card exposed around the edge.  This will help to avoid short circuits as the battery interrupter is installed and used.

30. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
If you like, you can wrap electrical tape around the wires at the edge of the card, to hold them together and make the battery interrupter slightly more durable.

31. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
Now that you have a completed no-solder battery interrupter, test it with a toy or device.  Slide the foil lined card between the batteries of the toy, separating them entirely.  It may be necessary to pull the batteries apart, or remove them and press them back into place with the card between them.

32. No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter
It may be necessary to file a small notch into the battery compartment of the toy, so that the wire can hang outside of the toy.  You can also add more tape to hold the interrupter securely in place.
Plug any basic switch into the 3.5mm jack
turn on the toy's main control switch
Activate the switch and enjoy!

33. Things to Keep in Mind A switch only works by controlling the circuit
Switches and battery interrupters must use “same” wires
The longer the cord length, the less the power
Interrupters should be placed at the positive end of the battery—this works best
Must use copper for circuit completion

34. Tips for Adapting Toys
The easiest toys to adapt are the ones that move in only one direction or use sound and/or lights a as the activity
Toys that have multiple movements will work but the interrupter may become easily tangled
You may want to invest in a a cordless switch for these types of toys
Tape players work well with switch. CD players do not as they usually start at the beginning when the switch is pressed again
Make sure the switch is secure so that it does not move when the child accesses it. You can use a rubber mat (such as dycem), Velcro or a mount

35. When Choosing Toys Look for what is interesting to the child
Keep in mild colors, contrast, size
Be careful with lights and sounds for the child who is sensitive or has an aversion to this
For children who have delayed visual responses, you may want slow or stationary toys

36. Making Switches Accessible
Here's a site that describes different permanent switch adaptations for toys:
Here's a site that shows how to make a battery adaptor that you could use on
battery operated toys:
The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) web site has several articles about
adapting toys and making switches:

37. RESOURCES Ablenet Inc. https://www.ablenetinc.com
Adaptive Tech Solutions:
Enablemart
Enabling Devices
Don Johnston Inc.

38. Pinterest Fat Brain Toys LLC
ource=bing&utm_term=toys%20for%20special%20needs&utm_c ampaign=TOYS+- +SPECIAL&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=nVmrS4kk%7Cpcrid %7C %7Cpkw%7Ctoys%20for%20special%20needs%7 Cpmt%7Cp%7Cpdv%7Cc%7C&source=bing&kwid=toys%20for% 20special%20needs
TFH: Special Needs Toys
Pinterest

39. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE
Jill Brown M.Ed. CTVI/COMS Michelle Johnson M.Ed. CTVI/COMS