Kerrie and Martin’s AT for crafting

Kerrie and Martin Duff have been involved with AT Chat since it started. They have not only featured in multiple videos but also worked with our team.

They generously invited AT Chat over to talk about the assistive technology (AT) they use in their hobbies and crafts.

Being welcomed into their home was like entering an Aladdin’s cave of craft-wonders. There was so much art, sewing, and mixed media projects (both complete and in-progress) on display, just asking to be explored.

When Kerrie was a child, her two grandmothers taught her embroidery and crochet. They passed on to her much of their own collections of materials. She has since expanded upon this collection. Having family and connection at the heart of her arts has continued to be important over the years. A close friend of Kerrie and Martin's introduced them to craft and woodwork fairs, patchwork, and scrapbooking. 

Outside of their family, Kerrie and Martin have connected with many different groups and events. These communities have helped them:

• Learn new skills and techniques
• Discover different types of AT that can make crafting easier and more accessible

Their main source of information about AT and new crafts is their peers. For example, at a felting workshop, someone might share a piece of technology Kerrie hasn't seen before. Martin may also be invited to another car club event the following week where he’ll connect with even more people. 

Allied health professionals are also useful sources of information about AT.

For example, an OT Kerrie saw a few years ago asked her what she’d like to do that she currently wasn't able to. This led to her getting:

• A lightweight wheelchair
• And later, a Smoov and front wheel that could be attached to her wheelchair

This helped her take their dog for longer walks. She was able to use the right equipment for the activity, instead of her crutches or basketball wheelchair, which weren't suitable.

Kerrie showed us her sewing machine. She pushes a button with her forefinger to start and stop the machine. This is more suitable for her than relying on the standard foot pedal for power.

‘My grandmother showed me how to hold the foot pedal between my knees to power the machine, or depress it using my elbow when the pedal was put on the table near my fabric. But being able to use my hand to operate the machine makes it so much easier and far more reliable,’ she explained. 

Other low-cost AT, such as a mobile magnifier with a light, allows Kerrie to see what she’s working on in greater detail.

She pairs this with an adjustable embroidery stand. She can use it while relaxing on the couch and working on intricate embroideries.

Reachers allow her to pick up scraps of fabric from the floor, or reach other items with ease.

Lazy susans on her sewing or mixed media desks mean that a range of tools are on hand whenever she needs them.

Felting has been a way for Kerrie to learn craft techniques from others and explore new AT. Dry felting was causing wrist pain. Thankfully, she found out about wet-felting. She also discovered an embellishing machine which makes the process easier and pain free.

She showed us a small bowl she’d made, and explained that ‘the process is important, but also the outcome. You can make something that you can use, but you don't always have to do something that is useful, or that you can give away as a present. It can just be that you're focusing in the moment on what you're doing, so you're not worrying about anything else.’ 

Other crafts that she uses for mindfulness include neurological or neurographic drawings and Zentangles. These help to clear her brain and get into a creative zone.

In the shed out the back, Martin showed us the tools he uses for his woodworking projects. We also saw the hooks hanging from pinboards that he uses to keep the tools within easy reach.

Back inside their home, he showed off the Phoenix bag that they use when travelling and visiting events. It can be attached to the back of their wheelchairs. This makes going places with a suitcase far easier than with other AT that they’ve tried. 

In addition to ATSA, Kerrie and Martin have attended other events and expos that have led them to new AT and connections.

Kerrie spoke of the benefits of using NDIS funding to bring support workers along to events, to give her extra support. It also helps to raise awareness in the community groups of the capabilities of people with disability.

It feels as though there is no limit to the creativity that Kerrie and Martin share. Their love of art was matched only by their enthusiasm to share the crafts that bring them joy and the AT they use to connect and create.

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