parapalegic pedal system

[Bill Spurlock, RPT]

I have a client who recently suffered an accident and is now in a wheel chair,
paralyzed from the waist down. She can play her piano (Yamaha M304 console) but
needs some way to operate the sustain pedal. I can easily install a PianoDisc or
Disklavier solenoid and power supply to operate the pedal, but need to come up
with some type of switch that she can operate, presumably with her mouth, chin,
or head. I'd appreciate any ideas.

I have talked to two other techs who have done this. One used a mouth hose
connected to a small player pneumatic to activate a small electric switch. The
player sucks on the hose, which collapses the pneumatic and  presses the switch
"on." This seems simple, but aesthetically is not too appealing to my client. At
the other end of the spectrum, Steve Davis of Portland used a state of the art
medical device consisting of a custom molded wireless transmitter that fits in
the roof of the player's mouth, and is operated by the tongue. This one allows
complex control of two pedals, through four tongue operated switches and a
receiver in the piano. This sounds good, but is beyond what I can get at *my*
hardware store.

I'm considering a light beam system, using a simple Radio Shack infrared motion
detector set up in front of the piano. The client would tilt her head forward to
break the beam, switching the pedal solenoid on. This would be relatively simple
but would probably require some rather unnatural head motions, especially with
repeated short pedaling.

The client is researching currently available medical devices, but in the
meantime I'd apreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with or seen a client's
piano with such a device. Thanks for your help.

Bill Spurlock