We live in a world which can get too stimulating. There is always something needing our attention on our devices: push notifications alerting us to a message or email, an audio beep of an incoming alert or reminder. This can already be overwhelming for the neurotypical, let alone someone who might be neurodiverse. Even for me, such notifications and alerts are shown as braille output all the time on my devices. Despite the constant prompting I feel under my fingertips, tactile communication and touch are ways for me to feel connected and reassured.
To me, a hug is where I feel human connections. As a Deafblind individual, I can’t see someone’s expression of missing me, for instance, or hear someone telling me I am doing good. A hug would thus convey them, more than what words can say. A gentle pat, a tight embrace – this is the human contact I need rather than just reading messages on my braille devices. This human contact also tells me that I am talking to someone and not muttering aloud by myself. Words could be interpreted in so many ways, which sometimes cause misunderstandings, while a tactile gesture is more direct. However, in Asian cultures, we do not readily express ourselves through physical gestures like hugs.
I was at Tech Able a few months back and tried out three items on display that would apply deep pressure on the user. The user could be someone with sensory needs, a person with autism or anyone who just needs comfort at that moment. These simulate hugs to provide a calming effect.
Weighted Blanket
Before I tried the weighted blanket, I had not heard of such a thing. After I tried the blanket, I went to search for more information on it and learnt that such blankets filled with different types of weights are widely available with so many choices. Like I said, a hug should make one feel assured.
However, when I was using the blanket, my movements felt restricted and I did not really feel like I was being hugged.
More about the Weighted Blanket.
Protac SenSit Chair
This chair is like an armchair with the four sides filled with plastic balls. When I sat on the chair, I was wrapped up with the weighted sides. There is even a leg rest to rest my feet. This definitely felt more like a hug to me because of the balls. Our bodies are not uniformly soft with flesh so the balls inside did feel like our arms during an embrace. I could also touch the plastic balls inside, so they are like additional sensory tools. The chair comes in different heights, and it is big enough to comfortably accommodate a bigger-sized person like me. Sitting on the chair with the balls, I felt like I was in someone’s embrace.
More about the Protac SenSit Chair.
Huggu
The latest addition at Tech Able is the Huggu. This is like the design of your typical chair except for the weighted sides. There is a metal base to make the chair more stable. However, I was afraid of kicking the base and tripping over it in the process of locating the seat. Due to the design of the chair, I felt that it might not be very suitable for a calm room as someone might accidentally hurt themselves. A calm room tends to be padded and cushioned, without hard objects. Nonetheless, the Huggu still provided me with the feeling of being hugged just like the previous one. When I sat on the chair, it did feel very cramped, and this might act like a tight embrace. Hugs come in different levels of intensity; the tight “embrace” from the Huggu was a bit less comfortable but still made me feel like I was being hugged.
More about the Huggu.
A simple gesture like a hug can express more than words do sometimes. We all need a hug sometimes. However, some people do not feel comfortable embracing and some situations are not suitable for a hug, for instance, during a meltdown. Life has its ups and downs, and these items could then apply pressure and offer simulated hugs to calm one down, or benefit anyone who just needs that reassurance once in a while. No doubt, there are these inventions available which can simulate hugs but for me, I still prefer real hugs because I have been using many electronic and braille devices without real-life human interaction to communicate. I need human hugs to feel connected, close to someone, and have that human contact.
Do you want to try these items and see how much of a “hug” they provide? Come and visit Tech Able, try them out and let us know which you prefer! Take a break from work, bring your loved ones and come for some “free” hugs!
Tan Siew Ling is fully Deafblind, having lost both her sight and hearing to a neurological condition, Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). She carries a screen reader with a Braille display, which she fondly names it as “Bear Bear”, everywhere she goes. Her humour, wordplay, and love of puns keep friends on their toes. She enjoys reading books in her free time and loves to pen down her thoughts, often on a whim, which can be entertaining at times, on her social media. When she is not writing or reading, she can be seen doing insanely 72kg leg presses or swinging a 20kg kettlebell to and fro. You can find out more about Siew Ling and her journey here.