[Ad – gifted] [I was gifted this item free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. I will always disclose any gifted items, experiences or services and I will always give my honest opinion. I will not be swayed by payment or reward.]
I have been a fan of Blue Badge Co.’s products for a while now and even had a few on my Christmas list, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them by reviewing one of their products. Blue Badge Co. was the first company I came across that was creating affordable, stylish products for disabled people and recognising that we still enjoy quality, fashionable design like anyone else. So many companies providing mobility aids or assistive devices offer up pure, clinical functionality with no thought whatsoever given to style. Blue Badge Co. is a breath of fresh air in comparison.
I was gifted the Fabric Tablet Stand in the sausage dog design (pictured above) and was excited to try it, as I’d had my eye on it some time. As someone who is predominantly housebound with M.E, I spend much of my time lying in bed or on the couch using either my phone or tablet to blog, read, watch box sets and generally keep in touch with the outside world, so I knew this was a product that would come in extremely handy for me.
Quality and Style
My first impressions of the tablet stand was that it was of a very high quality. The design and colour of the fabric is fashionable, and I can imagine it will appeal to lots of people. The fabric is strong and durable, yet soft enough not to aggravate any sensory issues for people like myself, who are extremely sensitive to rough or highly synthetic fabrics.
The stand retails at £18 which I initially thought was a little on the expensive side. However, after having researched other, similar products available from different companies, I found that Blue Badge Co.’s tablet stand is actually very competitively priced and has the added bonus of a wide range of fabric designs to choose from; offering a more personalised product which will appeal to more individual tastes.
Assistive and Enabling
As someone who suffers from chronic pain, I often struggle to hold up my tablet or phone for long periods and I have all but given up on reading, in part due to brain fog, but also because it exhausts me to hold up a book or my e-reader. Holding up a book or tablet, even just for 15 minutes, causes my neck and shoulder pain to flare up and my heart rate to elevate, which means I haven’t been able to do much reading at all over the past two years.
I’ve been using my tablet stand every day for the last week and have found that it has genuinely made a difference to how long I can manage to use one of my devices by relieving the pressure on my arms and hands. This has been a real gift as it has enabled me to do some long overdue work on redesigning my website and make a start on rereading A Christmas Carol, which I love to read every year in the build up to Christmas but haven’t managed to keep up for the last few years. These may sound like very small wins to other people, but in the chronic illness community we know that small achievements like this can make such a big difference to our mood.
Reliable
The stand sits easily and stably on any surface, without any wobbling or leaning. I have used it all around the house this week - on my lap, my couch, my bed, my bed desk - and it sat reliably on all four. Another feature that I really liked was how lightweight the stand is, so that it doesn’t cause any discomfort when using on your lap and is easily transportable. It has a tab handle on the top which is easy to grip in order to carry the tablet, however, if you have limited mobility or grip in your fingers, the fact that the stand weighs very little means it takes no effort or strength to move it around the house with you. It’s little details like this that shows me that, unlike other companies offering similar products, Blue Badge Co. puts the needs of their customers at the heart of their designs.
In Good Company
I can honestly recommend the fabric tablet stand very highly to anyone who frequently uses a tablet, smart phone or e-reader, but especially to those who are often doing so lying down because it makes viewing, scrolling, reading and writing so much easier when your arms are not having to do the extra work of holding up the device. The stand is high quality, durable, lightweight, stylish and well designed and I know it’s something I will continue to use daily. My only real complaint would be that there is no cat design available yet!
Finally, in preparation for working with Blue Badge Co. I researched the company and its ethos as I would never want to work with or recommend a company whose core values I didn’t agree with. Of course, I knew from their products alone that Blue Badge Co. are a company committed to helping disabled people live more comfortably and independently without compromising on style. What I didn’t know is that over 40% of their workforce are either disabled or primary care-givers. Not only does this reflect a company that is committed to providing meaningful employment for those with limited work options, but it also means that the team has first-hand knowledge of the types of products that will be beneficial to disabled people.
I don’t know about you, but that is the kind of company that I want to spend my money with.
Does this sound like a product that would be useful for you? What kind of designs would you like to see? Let me know in the comments.