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NMSBVI Presents...
The Tall(er) Room

The defining feature of the Tall(er) Room is that it is tall and can get taller. A teacher with a single student who is appropriate for the Tall(er) Room can use it with that student in a wheelchair or gait trainer or stander or stroller or Rifton chair. A teacher with multiple students who are appropriate for the Tall(er) Room can use it with a student in a wheelchair, a different student in a gait trainer, another student in a stander and so on. Instead of adjusting the length of the lines that suspend the objects around the student individually (a time consuming process), the roof itself is raised or lowered to allow for student access.  

TVIs have long adapted the Little Room to meet the needs of students in wheelchairs by extending the vertical posts. As TVIs tend to build Little Rooms out of PVC, the vertical posts are themselves PVC. At a certain height, about 4’, the PVC begins to have stability issues. This is particularly true if the student in the Little Room is prone to wild movements. Student safety can become an issue in a tall PVC version of the Little Room. As such, the Tall(er) Room is constructed primarily of 2x6s and 2x4s. The wood construction, while more difficult to build than PVC and significantly heavier, is much more stable. Also, the more robust construction allows for larger and/or heavier items to be used.

The Tall(er) Room is, essentially, a four foot tall by two foot wide by three foot deep (measurements can be varied to meet student needs) rectangle. The roof is constructed of 2x4s and sits on top of the base. Four posts, two on each side of the Tall(er) Room, are affixed to the roof. Bolts hold the four posts to the base of the Tall(er) Room both to ensure that the roof stays directly above the rectangle that forms the base and to lock the roof into the desired height. The nuts on the bolts are loosened, the height of the roof set to the desired level and the nuts on the bolt are then tightened. Raising and lowering the roof is most easily done by 2 people, one on each side of the Tall(er) Room.

Pegboard has been used on the sides and top of this Tall(er) Room to allow for innumerable attachment points for toys, switches and so forth. Because the pegboard lets in a limited amount of light it can be quite dim when the roof is directly atop the base. A cheap light (plug in—placed behind the student) was added to enhance the illumination when the items weren’t self-luminous. (Light up toys stand out much better in the darker environment and the plug in light can be switched on/off as needed.) The Tall(er) Room could be constructed with plexiglass on top instead of pegboard to allow more overhead light to enter. Darkening the inside of the Tall(er) Room would then only require the placing of a blanket over the plexiglass if the student functioned best in low lighting or needed indirect lighting.

As a note of clarification, the Tall(er) Room is not meant to replace or displace the Little Room. The two are seen as complimentary. A student may be placed in the Little Room and benefit from the resonance board and freedom of movement being supine often allows. The same student may then be placed in the Tall(er) Room to experience a different plane of motion while supported or standing.

Educators:  Please feel free to construct and use this device at your discretion. However, NMSBVI assumes no liability regarding this innovation or its use/misuse.

For additional information, please contact the inventor, Ron Later, at rlater@nmsbvi.k12.nm.us
 

Features & Usage:
	Shown here: This student is in a gait trainer while in the Tall(er) Room. The roof is resting directly atop the base as that allows the toys to hang  low enough for him to reach. He is working on head control while checking out some of the items that are available to him. While not visible in this photo, he is reaching for a blue button affixed to the side of the Tall(er) Room in order to activate the yellow and black vibrating bee toy. (The toy makes an odd noise when it vibrates as it is in contact with the pegboard.)
	The student has moved on from the button (now visible) to a hanging rattle type toy. Note that the toys are hung on an elastic type string in order to allow the students to pull them down several inches. While the student’s head has angled down slightly to check out the toy it hasn’t dropped to his chest, which indicates that he is controlling where his head is in relation to his body.
	The student, while still hanging onto the rattle type toy, has lifted his head to check out something he heard behind him. Note that the posts attached to the roof extend below the horizontal support strut about halfway up the base of the Tall(er) Room.
	This student is in a stander while in the Tall(er) Room. Note that the roof has been raised considerably to get the toys to the appropriate height. The posts attached to the roof are now well above the horizontal support strut. The stander, due to the length of the base, has to enter the Tall(er) Room backwards.
	Note how the student’s head has lolled off to his right. While he may have been checking out one of the objects around him he tends to shift his body to one side or the other while in the stander. Whether his position was due to a visual response or simply postural isn’t clear.
	With objects all around, the student turns his head and rights his body to deliberately check out some items off to his left. Much as in the Little Room, any motion he makes is likely to result in contact with one of the toys or objects in his vicinity.
	This student is in a wheelchair while in the Tall(er) Room. Note that the roof has been lowered to about halfway between where it was for the student in the stander and where it was for the student in the gait trainer.
	The student is amidst all of the hanging toys while in the wheelchair. Note the wing nuts and bolt near the top left of the picture. The wing nuts, two on each side of the Tall(er) Room, are tightened (hand tightened and then with pliers) to hold the roof in place. The posts attached to the roof are now just above the horizontal support strut. (Naturally, adjustments to roof height are made when students are not in the Tall(er) Room.)
	The photo, taken between the base and roof, makes the Tall(er) Room seem dimmer than it is. Note the light behind the student. When advantageous, such as when self lighting toys are used, the light can be turned off and the Tall(er) Room can be made quite dark.
Construction Technique:

The sides of the Tall(er) Room are comprised of two vertical posts (4’ 2x6s) and three horizontal supports (3’ 2x6s or 2x4s). The back of the Tall(er) Room consists of three horizontal supports (2’ 2x4s) that connect the two sides. The roof is made of 4 pieces of 2x4, cut to fit over the base of the Tall(er) Room. The four vertical posts extending down from the roof are pieces of 2x4s. Each of those posts has a ½” groove cut into it to allow it to slide up and down while it is retained by a bolt. The four bolts that hold the roof are trapped (by the pegboard) and extend through the vertical post of the base and through the vertical posts attached to the roof. The roof, therefore, can’t accidently fall off of the base; either the vertical posts extending from the roof must be removed (unscrewed) or the pegboard that traps the bolts must be removed (unscrewed).

Pegboard was used because it is versatile, cheap and happened to be on hand when the Tall(er) Room was constructed. As noted in the section above, other materials – such as plexiglass – could be used instead of pegboard. The sides of the interior of the Tall(er) Room could even be made of cardboard if that suited the needs of the students and program. Trapping the bolts that hold the roof to the base is highly advisable (cardboard won’t do it) given that the roof isn’t light; staff or student injuries could result if the roof were to fall off of the base. The roof could be made lighter by constructing it of 1x4s instead of 2x4s. Even then, trapping the bolts would be prudent.

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