Switch mounting

Also called Switch positioning, Mounting arm, Switch mount

Holding a switch exactly where the body expects it, on a wheelchair, a bed or a table, every single time. A switch that moves is a switch that fails.

What it is

Switch mounting is the hardware and the routine that keeps a switch in the right place: clamps, arms, brackets, plates and straps that fix it to a wheelchair frame, a bed rail, a tray, a table or the person's own body. The switch site decides where; mounting makes sure it is still there after the chair is folded, the bed is remade and three carers have changed shift.

It is dull, and it decides whether the whole system works. A switch two centimetres from where it was yesterday is a switch the person will miss all day and be blamed for missing.

Who it can help

Every switch user, and especially those whose site is on the head, a knee, a foot or a cheek, where there is no natural surface to rest a switch on. Wheelchair users whose chair moves between school, transport and home. People in bed for long periods. Anyone with a proximity or blink switch, where a few millimetres change everything.

It matters less for a person who can pick up a hand switch and put it where they want it, though a fixed position still speeds them up.

How it works

Mounting arms come in three kinds: rigid arms with a set of joints that lock, gooseneck arms that bend and hold, and quick-release systems where the switch and its bracket lift off a base plate and drop back into the identical position. Quick release is worth paying for, because it survives transfers and washing.

The mount attaches to a clamp on the wheelchair tubing, a bed rail, a table edge or a floor stand. Position is recorded: photographs from two angles and, on a good set-up, marks or labels on the arm so anyone can put it back. Head switches are usually on a bracket off the headrest; foot and knee switches on a plate on the footrest or a strap. Cables are routed and taped so nothing snags in a transfer.

Getting started

Photograph the working position from the front and the side, print the photos, and put them in the chair bag and on the wall by the bed. That is the cheapest mounting aid there is and it should happen this week.

Then look at what is actually holding the switch. Tape, Velcro and a cushion are how most home set-ups begin; they are fine for a trial and wrong for daily life. If the position is proven, ask the wheelchair service or AAC service for a proper arm or quick-release bracket, and ask for a second one for the bed if the person communicates there.

Where to get help

Mounting on a wheelchair is a joint job for the NHS wheelchair service and the AAC service, and it is part of what the specialised AAC services provide for eligible users. The ACE Centre publishes mounting guidance, and Smartbox, Tobii Dynavox and Liberator supply mounting hardware for switches as well as devices.