Tetra

Tetra is a non-profit organization designed to fill a niche that could not possibly be more important or fulfilling. It would be a dream come true if all the money spent on destruction could instead be rerouted into the arena of adaptive assistance and caregiving for all people with a disability. Until that day arrives anyone whose life involves the special needs associated with someone with a disability of any kind should be urged to take a look at the services and products that Tetra offers.

Tetra quite explicitly states that they are not out to engage in competition with the manufacturers of disabled tools and equipment. To do so, in the opinion of Tetra, would be to run the risk of actually discouraging those makers of supplies and equipment from creating products to meet every need. Instead, the goal and purpose of Tetra is to increase the ability of each person with a disability of some kind to enjoy life more fully. Tetra sets out to make available products for people of all ages and ability levels. The process begins with a request for a specific type of aid and then the volunteers that make up the brain center of Tetra converge to devise the best possible method of addressing that particular necessity. The only rule is that the disabled tools and equipment be something that is not already readily available in the retail market. The underlying aspiration is to close up those gaps and cracks that exist between what the disabled public really needs and what the business world has deemed profitable enough to manufacture. The only other rule of thumb is that Tetra doesn't make medical devices, nor do they provide hoists.

Exactly what kind of adaptive assisted aid does Tetra provide to those with disabilities? The terrific thing about the guys at Tetra is that they recognize even the most seemingly insignificant need can play an enormous part in limiting the abilities of persons most in need of assistive technology. That mindset in which it is understood that not all assistive equipment necessarily be targeted toward the major obstacles in the place of people with disabilities has been the genesis behind a dazzling array of equipment. A perfect example of how Tetra's volunteers are filling in those gaps between the needs and the lack of products that exist can be illustrated by the story behind a laser pointer that was invented and perfected following a Vancouver school ban on laser pointers and the modification of a new laser that sent a less intensive beam. This is exactly the kind of state of affairs into which the workers at Tetra step into in order to meet a quite specific need.

Among similar stories of how Tetra's volunteers have stepped in to improve the quality of life for people with a wide range of disabilities are those that have ended with such modified equipment as a tray situated on the front of a motorized scooter, an aquarium light switch extension and a free-standing easel for mouthpainting. If you can think of a particular assistive living aid or need not yet being met, Tetra's services are easy to check out; simply visit TetraSociety.org.