Article Review Number One

Article Review Assignment: Adaptive Devices/Equipment

 Name of Article: “Facilities, Equipment, and Supplies”

  

Name of Journal: This article was not in a journal, rather I found it in the book, Adapted

   Aquatics Programming-A Professional Guide.

Name of Authors: G. William Gayle, Monica Lepore, and Shawn F. Stevens

  

When and how did you locate this article?

I located this article by using Murphy Library’s catalog. I began searching with keywords such as “adaptive equipment” to see what type of results came up, so that I would have an idea of the number of resources out there on specific activities that have adaptive equipment. I found this book as I was going through the results list. I located this article on October 23, 2011.

 Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:

This article talked about different equipment and supplies that are available for individuals and facilities to use to make using the pool and surrounding areas easier. The article discussed different types of lifts, ramps, stairs, ladders, and transfer systems that can be used to help the individual enter and exit the pool. I found this part of the article very interesting because a lot of times when I think of adaptive equipment or devices, I think of things that can help the individual while in the pool, but I never took into consideration the process of getting into and out of the pool. This section discusses the importance of having equipment that can be used individually so that clients can have as much independence as possible by removing the barrier of having to ask for assistance and drawing attention towards themselves. This section also talks about the need for adaptive equipment outside of the pool in areas such as the bathroom, shower, and changing area. Again, it is important that high functioning individuals have equipment that they can operate on their own as to give them as much independence as possible.

The second half of this article talked about equipment and supplies that are available for support, propulsion, and fitness. This section discusses many types of support devices, such as personal flotation devices (PFDs) that can be used specifically for certain activities or for specific types of disabilities. Some of the PFDs discussed are life jackets, flotation suits, jog belts, ski belts, kickboards, foam noodles, inflatable tubes, flotation barbells, water wings, wet vests, pull buoys, and rafts. I learned that every individual requires a different type of floatation device based on their abilities, range of motion, strength, buoyancy, swimming style, and experience in the water. I also learned that floatation devices need to keep the individual’s nose, ears, eyes, and mouth out of the water. Propulsion equipment that helps the swimmer’s forward movement in the water are hand paddles, neoprene or Lycra hand mitts, and prostheses that allow for fin attachments. I learned that overuse of some of these can actually cause the individual to have shoulder injuries. Lastly, this section discusses equipment that can be used for fitness. These devices are usually handheld, pushed, or pulled; such as balance bar floats, hand and finger paddles, aqua shoes, webbed gloves, workout fins, ankle and wrist weights, buoyancy cuffs, ski belts, jogging belts, and aqua collars. Things such as underwater treadmills, aquacycles, water workout stations, and aquatic exercise steps can be used for cardiovascular conditioning, muscle toning, and strength training.  

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?

Not having known too much about adaptive equipment/devices before having read this article, I will apply all of the knowledge that I gained from it to my professional development. There is no knowing where I will land my first job, so I believe it is very beneficial to have knowledge in many different areas and trades. Although reading this article does not provide the same impact as if I were to work with some of the adaptive equipment firsthand, I have learned a lot more than I had known before it. I also think it is very beneficial for me to know what type of equipment is out there and the possible uses for each of them.  

Would you recommend this article for other TR students? Why or why not?

I would definitely recommend this article for other TR students. This article provides information in many different areas that are connected to aquatics. Not only does it offer suggestions on the types of equipment to use when working with different disabilities, but it also provides resources of the most well-known companies of these products for you to look into the equipment more thoroughly and get an idea of what it would cost to incorporate these into your facility. This article is also very useful in providing guidelines of which the ADA requires when installing and using these types of equipment. This article and book are definitely good resources to turn to if interested in learning more about adapted aquatics.