Devices Offering Great Solutions (DOGS)

Door Openers

Ways to open doors and gates

What does it do?

People might need help opening and closing doors and gates for a variety of reasons, including decreased strength or balance.

What kinds of door openers are there?

Automatic Door Openers

Automatic doors might be a good fit for you if it is hard to open a door by yourself. You might have to install a new door or you might be able to fix (retrofit) an old door.

Low-Energy Door Openers

These doors can be opened manually or with a “knowing act” using something like a button, push plate, or remote control.

Full Energy Door Opener

These doors are activated via motion sensors when approached.

Pneumatic Residential Door Opener

Pneumatic residential door openers utilize the power of air under pressure to automatically open the door. You can use a handheld remote or wall mounted buttons, infrared devices or many other activating devices.

Smart Locks

A smart lock is a WiFi or Bluetooth-enabled smart home device. It lets users lock and unlock doors with the tap of a finger or a voice command. Smart locks also allow remote access, so you can unlock a door to let someone in while you are not home. You should evaluate a smart lock’s features to choose the best one for your needs.

Smart Gate Opener

Smart gate openers allow you to control your gate from anywhere using an app.

T-Pull Door Closer

Assistive device for people using wheelchairs, walkers, or any other mobility aids.

Hands Free Door Opener/Foot Operated Door Opener

This device allows you to use your foot to open a door instead of your hands.

Push plate to open an accessible door.

How do I see what's new?

Technology changes all the time. To find out about the latest options for these, you can type keywords into a search engine such as Google, Safari, Firefox, or Bing on a computer or tablet. These are the keywords for this type of item:

smart locks, smart doors, automatic doors, ADA compliant doors, low energy door opener, pneumatic door openers

How do I find out more?

If you live in the US outside of Pennsylvania you would need to find your state's AT program.

If you live in Pennsylvania:

  • you could contact TechOWL to work with a specialist. We can meet with you and sometimes demonstrate this equipment. We can also help with different ways to get one for your own.
  • you might borrow this equipment to try out. Do we have this in our lending library?

No

We can't lend out items that need to be installed in your home.

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Alanna Raffel

Alanna Raffel is an occupational therapist. She has worked in a variety of settings including acute rehab, outpatient pediatrics, early intervention, and schools. She is passionate about accessibility and loves discovering and making new tools that promote independence. Alanna enjoys making assistive technology using her sewing machine and 3D printer.

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