Mounting

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Mounting

The right mount delivers positioning, stability and visibility that can be critical for successful communication and access.

Bridges Break Webinar: Mounting Made Easy - 3 Part Series

Part 1:

Mounting Made Easy for Light Devices and Switches

Part 2:

Mounting Made Easy for iPads

Part 3:

Mounting Made Easy: MOGO - Build Your Own Light Mount

In each 22 minute session we’ll sort through arms, clamps and plates so you can choose the best option for your classroom.

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Mounts for:

Switches, Light Tech AAC

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Brands

ModularHose

Flexible, lightweight mounts with QuickClick connectors. Best for lighter devices, multiple users or multiple positioning options for a single user.

Daessy

Canadian made, highly secure, durable mounting solutions. Best for High-tech devices, stable, fixed positioning in high traffic areas, wheelchairs, high need individual users.

AbleNet

Blend between flexibility, easy to use and lock in place solidity. Best for semi-permanent positioning for high traffic areas, multiple users and light-weight devices.

Others

Maxess mounts, leg mounts, slant boards, tabletop stands, Velcro, Trabasack etc.

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Learning Area

An effective mounting solution is:

Anchored

it stays in the place and position. Here it’s good to think about not just the user and where the device is used – table, walker, chair, counter etc. – but the environment.

high traffic area,
how’s the area used
will the mount be moved to other spaces and areas

Angled

A simple adjustment of the angle of the device can change the kind of movement the user needs to activate the device. For example to activate something flat is an up-down movement, but angling upright, perpendicular to the ground might be more of a forward movement and may also mean the target is easier for the user to see.

Convenient

Whether head, hand, foot or any other way they’re activating the device, the mount should minimize effort for the user. For some users that means up close. For others – because of how the user moves or the specific activity – it could be farther away.

Elevated

At an appropriate height.

Components of a Mount

To keep things simple we’ve broken down a mount to three essential components. Typically all three components come from the same manufacturer so that everything attaches securely and safely.

Your mounting system will have:

Mounting plate
Arms
Base clamp

	Cable/snake arm	Elbow arm
Pros	Quick and easy to change positions. Convenient for multiple users.	Stays in position so that you don’t have to reset. More likely to stay in place if knocked or shaken. Better for heavier items. Flexibility for extensions and positions.
Cons	Might not hold heavier load. More likely to droop if extended from clamp. More likely to change positions when shaken, knocked or hit.	Slower and less convenient to change/set positions. Two hands to change reset position.

	Spring	Table Clamp	Suction Cups
Pros	Quick and easy to change positions. Convenient for multiple users. Can attach to a variety of shaped surfaces.	Stays in position so that you don’t have to reset. More likely to stay in place if knocked or shaken. Better for heavier items. More likely to stay in position at full length or in other positions.	Easy to move to position.
Cons	Might not hold heavier load. More likely to change positions when shaken, knocked or hit.	Requires a flat “table-edge” surface for strength. Slower and less convenient to change/set positions. Two hands to change reset position.	Need a flat, smooth surface. Low, not very elevated.

Things to Consider

When choosing any part of the mount think about:

Device – size, shape, weight
Access – how the user will access the device
Positioning – angle, extension, orientation
Environment
User(s)

Device

The device will dictate the type of plate (see below) to secure it to the mount. The weight and size of the device are important. A heavy device might be secure on the plate but too heavy or large for the arm. What parts of the device need to be available and which parts of the device need to be shielded – power ports, buttons, touchscreen? Some devices have purpose-built plates, other devices may need to be secured using straps, Velcro or dual-lock.

Accessing the device

Whether a switch, iPad or communication aid, think about your user(s) and how they will physically and/or visually access the device. Will they use a lot of force or a light touch? Is their access aided by additional hardware or a specific position?

Positioning

Angle and plane can be best achieved with certain mounts. Look for a mount that offers the most stability for the setup you are trying to achieve.

The farther the device extends from the base, the more robust all the components have to be to support the weight of the device, hold the position and stay connected to the surface.

For example an arm mount might be stable with the weight of device when it is basically upright and close to a clamp attached to a table, but when extended away from the clamp it could start to droop, or even fall off the table.

Environment

Where will the device be mounted and who needs to manage the device’s movements? In a busy classroom or in a home, the need to share space, to engage in activities that are messy, to allow the user and caregivers to perform transfers, to move the equipment from one environment to another are all considerations for mounting equipment choices.

User(s)

Is it one user or multiple users? How does the user access the device – head, hand, foot, etc. Where will the user use the device – table, walker, chair, counter etc. Will they walk up, roll up or sit to access the device.

All of these factors will help you to choose the right mount. No one mount is perfect for every circumstance, even for the same device. These factors will affect your choices - the trade off between flexibility vs. permanence, robustness vs. ease of use in repositioning or moving.

Consider multiple mounts in your classroom.

Material / Construction

Some mounts are made out of equipment used for other purposes such as photography, light mounting, industrial machinery. Some mounts are purpose built for mounting assistive technology. You’ll see specific design features for flexibility, long life in the areas that are prone to wear by our users and also purpose built attachments.

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Mounting

iPads, Tablets

Switches, Light Tech AAC

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