Device mounting

Also called Mounting, Mounting arm, Wheelchair mount, Floor stand, Tablet mount

Arms, brackets and stands that put the screen exactly where the person can see and reach it. Not an accessory: without it, the aid is a thing in a bag.

What it is

Device mounting is the hardware that holds a communication aid in its working position: a wheelchair mount off the frame, a floor stand by a bed or chair, a desk clamp, a bed-rail arm, or a strap and case for a person who carries it. The position is decided by the person's access method: eye gaze wants the screen at a fixed distance, straight on; touch wants it within reach at a good angle; switch users want it where they can see it without turning.

A communication aid that is on the tray when someone puts it there, and in a bag the rest of the time, is not a voice. Mounting is what makes it always-on.

Who it can help

Every wheelchair user with a device, and every person who communicates from a bed or a fixed chair. It is non-negotiable for eye gaze and head tracking, which depend on a fixed geometry, and close to it for switch scanners, who must see the screen constantly.

A person who walks and carries a phone or small tablet needs a different answer: a case with a strap or a lanyard, and a habit. Even they benefit from a stand at the places they sit longest.

How it works

A wheelchair mount clamps to the frame tubing and carries the device on an arm with locking joints or a swing-away hinge, so it can move aside for transfers, eating and getting through doors, then return to the same spot. Quick-release plates let the device come off for charging and go back to the identical position. Weight matters: a large device on a long arm changes a chair's balance and may need the wheelchair service to sign it off.

Floor stands roll to a bed or armchair and hold the device over the person; they are the answer for people who do not use a wheelchair or who communicate in bed. Desk mounts and bed-rail arms fill the gaps. The working position, once found, is photographed and, on a good set-up, marked on the arm.

Getting started

Work out the person's three places: where they spend the most time seated, where they sleep, where they are during the day. Each needs a way to hold the device. A cheap tablet stand or a gooseneck clamp can prove the position at home in a week.

Then ask for the real thing. In England, mounting for a device funded by the specialised AAC services is part of the provision; for a device you bought yourself, the wheelchair service still has a duty to consider what is attached to the chair, so involve them early. Photograph the working position and keep the photo with the chair.

Where to get help

Mounting is assessed jointly by the AAC service and the NHS wheelchair service; raise it at your AAC assessment. The ACE Centre publishes mounting guidance, and Smartbox, Tobii Dynavox and Liberator supply mounting systems. The Sequal Trust is a charity that helps fund equipment, including mounts, for people who cannot get it elsewhere.