Measuring Tips and Tricks

The old adage “measure twice, cut once” has even more meaning when you’ve experienced vision loss. But it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to do home repairs or tasks that require accurate measuring, and do them without straining and tiring out your eyes. Just follow along to learn a few adjustments you can make to read the markings on a ruler or tape measure with confidence.

Sometimes, you just need a “guess-tament.” It doesn’t need to be exact. Well, you’ll be surprised at the many different things at your disposal to use for this kind of measuring. One of the most surprising is connected to your shoulder. Did you know that the length from your elbow to the tip of your longest finger is approximately 18 inches?

Or, that the width of your hand from the base of your thumb is approximately 4 inches?

And the length of your finger from the last joint to the tip is about an inch. Talk about a handy way to measure!

Here’s a few more things to keep in mind for a quick measure. A dollar bill is 6 inches long.

And a standard sheet of paper is 8 ½ by 11 inches.

And if you use a white or support cane, find out how long it is so you can use it as a measuring tool as well.

You can also use a piece of string to get an exact length or distance. Just tie a knot at the exact length you need.

And you can make yourself a 3-2-1 block out of scrap wood. Make it 3 inches long by 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. For measuring in increments of 1, 2 and 3 inches, you can’t beat it.

For projects that do require a tape measure or ruler, good lighting will go a long way toward making things easier to see. Put a task light over your worktable or use one of those headbands that have a light attached.

To make the numbers on a standard ruler or yardstick more readable, have a friend or family member mark them with contrasting permanent marker. Or, have them use puff paint in a contrasting color to create lines you can see and feel. Of course, this may not be a good idea with a measuring tape, as the paint could come off when its retracted.

You could also have a friend notch out 1-inch increments on one side and ½ inch increments on the other. Just make sure the notches on the ½ inch side are shorter so you’ll know which side is which. This will allow you to use your fingernail to count the notches to get an accurate measurement.

Another cool thing you can do is put staples that you can feel at 1-inch increments in a cloth measuring tape.

There are also specialty rulers and yardsticks you could buy. They not only have large print but marks you can feel. They usually have marks to measure ¼, ½ and 1-inch increments. There’s also a metric version you can buy. And some of them are flexible for measuring curved as well as flat surfaces.
Of course, the ultimate specialty ruler or tape is a talking one that speaks the measurements as you go.

There are also transparent rulers you can use under the camera of a video magnifier to measure objects under a magnifier like a length of thread.

And for more detailed measurements, you can use a click rule. This device clicks and has marks you can feel from 1/16^th of an inch all the way to 4 feet. For more information about any of these devices, check out our resources section of this workshop.

Now, it’s not much good to you to go through all the trouble of getting an accurate measurement, if you can’t see the mark you’ve made. So, for an accurate way to mark your measurements, instead of using a pencil, use an awl to scratch a mark into the surface. You’ll be able to feel the measurement and not have to rely on seeing your pencil mark.

As always, contact a learning expert if you have questions or your own tips to share. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience and practice and you’ll get there.