Margaret,

 

I am very anxious to have a copy of your manual or making the Laser Pointer, however, for some reason, I keep getting an error message from Adobe when I try to download it from the link you included. Would it be possible to email me directly the .pdf file? I would be very grateful. Thanks!

 

 

Hi Antoinette-

Thank for your kind letter, and your acknowledgement- it totally made my day!

 

I have to admit, this manual has been a labor of love.  Now that I’m done with it, I want to make more instructions!

 

Some other things I want to make instructions on-

 

1.      How to switch adapt a pager system (it has more range than the ones you can buy from Enabling Devices)

2.      How to make a LocLine mounting system.

3.      How to create a system to connect a telephone directly to a computer.

 

Amy Roman and I taught a series of 2 day workshops on AAC for ALS last year, and as part of it, we showed how to create a laser pointer.  It was a really useful experience, because it made me see that everything had to be broken down step by step.  (Things that I took for granted, like stripping a wire, had to be broken down and explained.)

 

As an aside, I remember when I first got into this field, everything felt so new and scary.  I called Alisa Brownlee, and she was so helpful and generous with her time.  I never forgot that.  I like the idea of professionals sharing their knowledge (like they do on this listserv) so that other professionals don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

 

Take care, and thanks again,

 

Margaret

 

 

Margret,

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

 

I am itching to make my first laser pointer!  Thank you for creating such a user friendly document!  I know how difficult it is to present this type of information into an easy to use format.

 

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.  I really appreciate you giving the AT community the benefit of what I can only imagine was hours and hours of blood, sweat, and tears.

 

On behalf of professionals and patients alike, I applaud your thoughtfulness and generosity.

 

 

Hi All- (please excuse the cross posting)

 

I put together some step by step instructions on how to create a laser pointer for low tech augmentative communication.  It is available in pdf format, and can be downloaded at:

 

www.ucsf.edu/brain/als/resources/resources.html

 

The instructions are designed to be simple, so that a non-techie person can put it together. 

 

 

Margaret Cotts, MA, ATP

Assistive Technology Specialist

The ALS Center at UCSF

350 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 500

San Francisco, CA 94117

 

Phone:(415) 514-2511
Fax:(415) 514-0491

Office Hours:

W & Th 10:00-6:00

Friday: Clinic Day- 10:00- 6:00