The problem is this: public furniture, fixtures and fittings are designed and installed with the average man in mind. Indeed, they are often designed with the wheelchair-bound in mind. This is, of course, perfectly sensible; until the advent of and uptake of pimped-out hydraulics systems on wheelchairs, it will be easier for the tall to bend down than the disabled to reach up. But I am fed up bending, hunching over, reaching down. It's ruinous to my posture and, considering how often I interact with firmly affixed features, a total pain in the, er, neck.

So, rather than requiring the whole world to accommodate me (link), I will now carry del fisherio's Pointy Graboid Armhandle. Available in a range of styles, the Pointy Graboid Armhandle is, essentially, a sturdy man-made stick, such as might be used to rattle noisily along railings. But it is also so much more. Not least of all, it is telescoping. Further, each end of the stick features features. At one end is a grabbing claw hand, a variation on the long handled implements issued to street sweepers. The grabbing claw hand, which has a rubberised interior, for firmer grip, also has a fingery attachment, to assist with pointing and with the pressing low-down of keypads. At the other end of the stick is a suction cup festooned form, using which the carrier can attach the PGA to, say, shopping trolley handles, train ceilings, small children.

As it is dishwasher safe, the PGA can also be used by germophobes as an easily cleanable alternative to touching anything.
-- calum, Jun 16 2005

Adjustable Everything Adjustable_20Everything
by my face yo' [calum, Jun 16 2005]

Snap-On Shopping Trolley Handle Snap-On_20Shopping_20Trolley_20Handle
by me, back when I was dealing with the problem one symptom at a time. [calum, Jun 16 2005]

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