New One-Handed Prescription Bottle Makes Medication More Accessible

Text Reads: At SnapSlide (green logo), we’re committed to enhancing daily life through accessible design. A hand holds the SnapSlide prescription bottle. 

SnapSlide is an accessible medication closure that is also child-safe and sustainable. This resource is especially helpful for people with limb differences and hand mobility conditions like arthritis or Parkinson's. The SnapSlide mission is to pioneer industry-leading solutions that uplift every individual, regardless of physical ability, while advancing sustainable initiatives. 

Rocky Batzel, Inventor and CEO of SnapSlide, guided us through the creation of SnapSlide and how it can be used as an assistive device.

Diversability: Please share a little bit about the evolution of assistive technology and devices.

Rocky Batzel: Assistive technology has evolved from specialized devices designed to address specific disabilities to more inclusive, intuitive solutions that make everyday life easier for everyone. We're seeing a growing recognition that accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought or require complicated, expensive equipment. Some of the most meaningful innovations are actually quite simple...rethinking everyday products to eliminate physical barriers and give people greater independence.

Diversability: What inspired the creation of SnapSlide

Batzel: SnapSlide was inspired by my grandmother, who struggled to open her prescription bottles, requiring my mother to regularly drive to her home and remove the caps for her. Leaving the bottles open created its own risks, particularly when pills could spill or grandchildren came to visit, highlighting the need for packaging that balances accessibility with child safety. I realized that traditional child-resistant closures often rely on gripping strength, dexterity and twisting motions that can be difficult or impossible for millions of people. That personal experience sparked a mission to reinvent the prescription closure with an innovative, accessible design that promotes safety, dignity and independence.

Diversability: Walk us through how and when you'd like to see SnapSlide used.

Batzel: Our vision is for SnapSlide to become an everyday solution for anyone who struggles with conventional prescription bottles, whether they're managing a lifelong disability, recovering from an injury, or experiencing age-related limitations in hand strength and dexterity. Its innovative sliding mechanism is designed to make accessing medication easier without the traditional push-and-turn motion, while maintaining child-resistant protection. We are thrilled that SnapSlide is now available through independent pharmacies (and on our website) so that people can manage their medications with greater confidence and independence, without routinely having to ask someone else for help.

Diversability: What makes SnapSlide unique compared to other assistive devices/technologies?

Batzel: What makes SnapSlide unique is that accessibility is built directly into the prescription packaging itself, rather than requiring a separate tool, attachment, or workaround. By replacing traditional, high-torque closures with our patented, one-handed sliding technology, we’ve reimagined the prescription container to create a more intuitive experience that benefits everyone. SnapSlide also offers the cost-efficiency and manufacturing scalability needed to compete with standard Rx packaging, without adding extra steps or inconvenience for general users. We believe the best assistive innovations are those that fit naturally into everyday life while promoting accessibility, dignity, and independence.

Diversability: What's next for SnapSlide?

Batzel: Our immediate priority is expanding awareness and availability of SnapSlide through pharmacies and healthcare partners across the country. We also want to engage more directly with disability advocates, independent pharmacies, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and the people who experience medication-access challenges firsthand. Their perspectives are invaluable as we work toward a future where accessible prescription packaging is the standard rather than the exception.

Diversability: Anything else you want us to highlight?

Batzel: One message we'd really like to emphasize is that independence is often defined by the small things we do every day. For someone living with a disability, being able to open a prescription bottle without assistance can represent much more than convenience...it can mean privacy, dignity, confidence, and greater control over their own healthcare. We believe accessibility and child resistance should never be viewed as competing priorities, and that thoughtful design can help deliver both.

A special thank you to Rocky Batzel and the SnapSlide team. To learn more about SnapSlide, visit their website www.snapslide.com. SnapSlide is also active on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.