There are doors with doorknobs, and some with push-bars. There are sliding doors, folding doors, cabinet doors, car doors, and automatic doors in some places. I focused on the plentiful assortment of doors that Riley encountered daily. To fully consider the use of doors, I knew that our support services at McKinley Elementary School would be involved as they had been in other activities. Physical therapy would be concerned with Riley's upper body strength.
Some doors are quite heavy.
The therapist would plan exercises to develop those muscles. Occupational therapy would be troubled with the twisting wrist movement necessary for doorknobs, a motion quite unnatural for Riley. Speech therapy would emphasize signing words such as open, close, inside and outside into Riley's hands. The orientation and mobility instructor would worry about doors that others might dangerously open in Riley's path. Riley would need to be better with his cane.