So here we have a standard Xbox One controller and a standard PlayStation 4 controller.
These controllers have been designed in a way for you to hold generally with both hands maybe thumbs on the sticks and moving across to the buttons.
If this is impossible or if this is difficult for you then we’re going to focus on how you can use just one of the analog sticks as a starting point.
The way try not to worry about the other stick or the buttons at this
stage you might find that accessibility switches work better for you, you can always check some of our switches videos you might also find that a different shape or style of controller would work better for you and our adapter videos will show you how you can get these working with the console of your choice.
We’re now going to have a look at positioning a standard controller in a few different ways and hopefully we’ll find a way that works for you. So this is a Maxess tray and we can use this to position the controller onto. So if holding on to it is difficult you might find it easier having the controller positioned on this tray.
We’re going to do this just to show you the PS4 controller and we use some velcro which will help stick the controller to the Tray.
We put that on in there and that should be enough just to hold this controller firmly down.
So if holding on to the controller is difficult you might find
that by having it stuck down it holds it for you and you can use different parts of your hand perhaps and see see what might work for you.
So here we’re going to use a Maxess wedge you can also make your own wedge.
You might find that just cutting up some packaging foam or some polystyrene something like that and you’ll be able to try and find different angle and see it to see if that works for you but here we’ll use one of these wedges.
So again you might want to use a bit of velcro you can always put some velcro along the bottom of the wedge just to make it stick onto the tray more but here we’re just going to show how you could potentially you could put a few bits of velcro and onto the controller itself.
Just stick that onto the wedge. Now that it’s at this angle, there’s a few
different ways that might work for you. You might find that you can position your hands around the controller so this way you can still potentially hold on to it.
It just means you don’t have to take the weight of the controller and might
be able to use your thumb you might also find that just having it that more of that angle will make it easier to use a finger or any other part of your hand really.
Just having it a bit of an angle might be helpful so if mounting the controller on to the mount or tray wasn’t helpful for you we also have a variable friction mounting arm.
Basically you can use something like dual lock which is like a strong velcro for that on this mounting plate and then using the super clamp you can position the mounting arm wherever you might need it
So maybe something like this and then we’re just gonna put the dual lock
first of all just put a bit on the actual plate itself and then we just have a look at the Xbox controller now for this put some dual lock on the back
of the controller as well.
So some people will find that having it come down in front of them might help with you know to access it so you might find that you can get both hands on the controller use your thumb to use the stick you might
also find having it positioned maybe down by your side and using your hand just having your hand down by the side of the controller might also give access to the stick.
So you can really maneuver this into any position and try and find
a place that works best for you.
So if using your hands on the controller is difficult another thing you can try is perhaps using either head movement or chin movement to make the stick again positioning can be really crucial with with using majority by each head you might find you want it under your chin slightly along there maybe between your lip and your chin so in between there somewhere but I’ll just try it just under my chin and first work I just use head movement to move the stick around and I can also try using actual my jaw or chin movement as well and it’s just a case of trying to find what might work
best for you.
Another way you might be able to move the analog stick is by using foot
movement.
So again it’s quite good to have the controller on the tray.
You can velcro it down you might find that you can use a bit of velcro and some carpets will allow you to stick the controller straight to the carpet but
here we’re just going to put the controller back on and tray and then
just put it down into the floor.
So there are a wide range of controllers available you might find that a certain one has different shape that will fit better for you.
They all come with different sized sticks and slightly different positions so it’s worth just having a little look around and seeing what’s available and seeing if you can find the controller that has the right size of sticks for you.
So you might find having something like a joystick extension or a thumb grip is helpful the extensions can add a little bit of extra height and can just clip on to the joystick on that the thumb grips can be really helpful if you ever find that your your finger slips off of the joystick.
So just fit onto the joystick like that and they can just help keep your family in place.
Thank you for watching this video and if there’s anything that we can do to help please do get in touch.
Standard Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers have been designed in a way to be held with both hands and with thumbs on the joysticks. In this video, SpecialEffect Occupational Therapist, Joe, shows some of the ways we help people to access joysticks if this is difficult, or impossible, for them..
If you have any questions, please visit the “contact us” page.
Video by Cara Jessop
Music: City Sunshine & Meditating Beat, both Kevin MacLeod https://freepd.com