Unique Solutions

Could a piece of personalised technology or equipment help you to confidently and independently live your life?

Process

Send us your goals

Fill out the enquiry form here or call 1300 663 243

Review

Your goal and challenges are reviewed by our therapist and volunteer who will determine if it’s a project we can do and if we have a volunteer who can take the project on.

Volunteer assigned

A volunteer with the right skills will be assigned and will visit if needed. There is no cost for this step. After working out a solution with you and what materials are required we will provide a quote.

Quote accepted

A quote will be provided which can be used to secure funding from the NDIS or other funding schemes. If you do not have access to funding a subsidised quote will be provided. We can subsidise the cost of the projects thanks to support from grant funders, organisations and individual donors. The price for unique solution projects will depend on the complexity of the project and the materials required.

Test, deliver and achieve your goal!

Your project will be built and brought to you for testing. Sometimes a prototype (or a few) will be made first to try out and then a final made from the correct materials when the design is confirmed as successful. Then you can achieve your goal!

Browse some of our Unique Solutions below. If you don’t find what you need our volunteers may not have invented it yet! Call us today to discuss your goals on 1300 663 243.

Solve-TAD is dedicated to providing unique solutions that improve the wellbeing, lifelong learning, daily living and community participation of people living with a disability.

Our volunteers and therapists work with you to design and build custom assistive technology, or modify existing equipment, to help improve your quality of life or achieve a specific goal.

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Patrick the Light-hearted

“Patrick is such a determined boy who never gives up. He’s cheeky and has a wonderful light-hearted personality,” said mum, Georgia.

Neve’s Cute Arm

“Neve is a spunky nine-year-old girl who has a strong personality and is always thinking of others,” said mum, Juanita.

Liam’s Musical Table

Liam is a happy, affectionate 21-year-old boy who enjoys playing music.

Ashlynn’s Horse Saddle

"Ashlynn, I would describe as determined, very gutsy. She's a fun, very long girl. Very caring," said mum, Tamara.

Determined Kim

Kim is a bright, determined woman who has a passion for sport and competition.

More Adventures for Hudson

“Cheeky is the main thing that comes to mind when I think of Hudson,” said mum, Ashlea.

Hazel’s Transition

Hazel is a happy and loving two-year-old who likes learning to play with her baby sister, Winter. Living with Global Developmental Delay, Hazel has little self-awareness which has impacted her ability to walk and climb.

Visual Spatial Neglect Apparatus for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT

TAD received a project application from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to replicate a therapeutic tool used for vision assessment. The project was known fondly as the ‘baking tray' and was a large flat board on which the patients were asked to arrange 16 blocks evenly.

Custom Mounts for Mark

This is what happened to Mark Tonga 11 years ago. In an instant, Mark’s life was changed forever. He was paralysed from the neck down.

More Playtime for Joshua

Their little boy, Joshua, turned one in January. Around this time Belinda and Jason took Joshua to a neurologist as he had not reached his gross motor milestones. After a series of tests Joshua was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2.

Multi Accessible Boccia Ramp

TAD’s Hunter Volunteer Group has designed a custom project which allows Dorise a young lady with Cerebral Palsy, to play the game she loves, Boccia. Boccia is a precision ball sport similar to bowls, it’s designed to be played by athletes with a physical disability.

Dog Treat Dispenser

TAD volunteer John Clayton has come up with a clever solution to help people with limited body movement give food rewards to their assistance dogs. The treat dispenser was voted the Project of the Year by volunteers at the annual TAD conference.

Custom Handle Helps Andrew

While visiting a UK chat room to learn more about MS, he met Michelle, an Australian who had also been diagnosed. They struck up a friendship and in 2000 Andrew moved to Sydney where he and Michelle married.

Bath Time for Madeline

Her mother, Amanda, was always concerned about lifting Madeline in various situations. Amanda has a chromosomal disorder which has resulted in reduced height, osteoporosis and arthritis in her wrists and hands. She was concerned about lifting Madeline safely when she grew.

Caitlin’s Transfer Steps

Caitlin’s mother, Karen, knew something was not quite right when her daughter kept getting one infection after another as a baby.

Georgia’s New Wardrobe

Like many 16 year olds, Georgia enjoys outdoor activities such as swimming, going out for drives in the car and shopping with mum. Saturday morning activities such as ten pin bowling with a like-minded group of young people are part of her busy schedule.

A Step up for Suzanne

If the truth be known Allen, TAD Volunteer for seven years, nearly missed witnessing the first time his simple and clever creation was in action. “I was getting the camera ready to capture the big moment and before I could get it focused Suzanne was already sitting in the passenger seat,” he says.

Carline

For Carline who has motor neuron disease and is unable to speak, trusting Colin to take away her only form of communication, her iPad, was no small matter. It was the only way he could construct a secure mount to attach the iPad and its special protective case to her powered wheelchair.

Sitting Easy

“Davy was so easy to get along with. There was no fuss, he listened patiently and he knew what he was doing. I can’t thank him enough,” says Janice.

Loghan in the kitchen

Enjoying time in the kitchen was not always thought of as possible. When Loghan was eight months old, the doctors said she would never sit up unassisted, never crawl and never walk.

Wheelchair to Smart Mover

Volunteer Dave Welch modified a chair for Trevor after an accident left him with a major back problem.

Sue’s Modified Trolley

TAD volunteer Geoff Permezel modified a walking aid to allow her left leg to swing freely as well as adding a cradle for Sue’s left arm. Her stronger right hand steers and controls the brakes through a single lever.

John Hunter Children’s Hospital

The Senior Occupational Therapist, Michelle Jackman, says, ‘We are extremely lucky in the Hunter to have such creative and skilled volunteers working for our local TAD group.’

Shari’s Paint Set

Shari loves horse riding, swimming and scrap booking. One day Shari and her mother, Helen, saw another client using a head pointer that TAD had made to paint. As Shari has quadriplegic athetoid cerebral palsy, this item looked very useful.

Shane’s Exercise Solution

Shane has a neurological condition called Fredricks Ataxia. This condition progressively gets worse over time so Shane does a lot of exercise as he finds this helps with his condition and his mind.

The Little Mermaid

She has an acquired brain injury resulting in cerebral palsy. This means she has delayed speech, poor balance and is unable to walk.

Maureen, on the road

Swimming, kayaking, chorale singing and numerous handicrafts are a few of Maureen’s hobbies. She has even swung on a 30m high trapeze and attributes this to the encouragement from her husband and the Club Med holiday resort staff.

Fraser’s Steps

He is very outgoing and observant and likes to carefully try new things. Fraser is very close to his older brother and they spend their time playing with action figures, doing puzzles and spending as much time outdoors as they can - even if it’s raining.

A Bridge for Alakai

He has a large plastic fort with steps and a slide for him to play on to develop his balance and gross motor skills.

Lainey’s Tag-Along

Lainey has a Freedom Wheels bike which she uses with parental support. Her younger siblings have grown to an age where they can manage longer bike rides but unfortunately Lainey is unable to keep up the pace on her normal Freedom Wheels bike.

Jaxon Goes For a Swing

He uses a motorised wheelchair to get around and has difficulty walking or standing.

Payton’s Freedom Wheels

Payton has autism and a global developmental delay. She is also nonverbal.

Bethany’s Chair

Bethany is 13 years old and has Dravet Syndrome. As a result, she has an intellectual disability and epilepsy. Her seizures are severe and hard to control. When Bethany was younger she used to sit by the dinner table in a high chair. As she got older she grew out of the high chair and needed a new way to sit comfortably at the dinner table.

Archer’s standing frame

This means he spends a lot of time sitting or lying down and the muscles in his legs don’t get the exercise they need. Archer’s Physiotherapist decided it was time to try a standing frame.

Samuel’s First Ride

Samuel first came to TAD when he needed an adjustable table and chair both for school and for home. TAD volunteers built him an Adjustable Chair and Table which enabled him to sit comfortably and upright and can be adjusted as he grows.

Custom Made Bath Bench

When her family moved into their new house last year, the bathroom did not have a walk-in shower. Instead the shower was within a large spa bath, making access difficult for Andie.

Elise’s Handlebar

Elise has a limb difference affecting her left arm which is shorter than her right arm. This was making riding her bike uncomfortable as she couldn’t quite reach the handlebar. Elise’s mum contacted TAD to see if anything could be done. TAD volunteer and former engineer Bill visited the family to assess the problem.

Pat’s Loom

“I taught myself from a book and then I became a bit of a loom-aholic,” says Pat. “I bought bigger and bigger looms until I got a computer controlled Dobby loom.”

Edward’s Training Dummy

Wing Chun is a form of self-defence and promotes awareness of the body. Students are encouraged to practise with a wooden training dummy to improve their form.

Natalie’s Freedom

Natalie has a rare progressive neurological disorder. As a result, she has been in hospital for two and a half years. She gets all her food and medicines through a central line. Initially this meant she had two medication pumps attached to her powered wheelchair by a customised bracket.

Enquire Now

Send us your goals and challenges and our therapists and skilled volunteers will review and come back to you with how we can work together to achieve them.

Enquire Now

Solve-TAD acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to elders past, present and emerging.