International Campaign Update

Longtime SmartHome supporters may be aware that last year Imagine! received a grant from the Charles Evans Hughes Foundation (CEHF).

The purpose of the grant is to allow the Imagine! SmartHomes Project to support an international campaign to educate the international community on how assistive and adaptive energy efficient technologies can provide support for the very neediest individuals with developmental or cognitive disabilities.

We recently presented the CEHF with an annual report on our progress, which has been substantial. Here’s some highlights from the report:

Imagine!’s guiding philosophy is that all individuals, regardless of ability or disability, have talents and strengths that make them vital members of their communities. We believe that our mission and advocacy of the disabled community is universal and is as crucially important to the developing world as it is here in the United States.

The purpose of the grant is to allow the Imagine! SmartHomes Project to support an international campaign to educate the international community on how assistive and adaptive energy efficient technologies can provide support for the very neediest individuals with developmental or cognitive disabilities.

In this Annual Report we present those countries and international organizations that have shown the greatest interest in the SmartHome International Campaign to date and are now continuing to work with Imagine! either in developing a joint project in their country or region, or continuing to support Imagine! by their advocacy of this very important endeavor.

European Union: In April 2010, we began the formal process of discussing with the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence (CEUCE) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, how to address the possibility of bringing representatives from the EU to tour the Boulder SmartHome. Through a series of meetings and emails with Dr. Joseph Jupille, Director of CEUCE and the Assistant Director Felicia Naranjo-Martinez, information regarding our campaign was presented to the European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington, DC. The benefits of this exchange culminated in the formal tour of the Boulder SmartHome on May 4 th, 2010, by Angelos Pangratis, Chargé d’ Affaires and Acting Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United States. This very high level tour by the leading diplomat of the European Union to the United States highlighted the relevance of our campaign to the 27 member countries of the EU. Ambassador Pangratis wrote about his tour of the SmartHome in his weekly newsletter on May 7 th, 2010: “I visited a sustainable housing project featuring innovative assistive technology to serve individuals with developmental disabilities or in need of assistance in their daily lives. The Imagine SmartHome is a great example of Colorado's important growth industries of medical technology and medical supplies, which I believe will be extremely relevant, among others, for the large generations of seniors who in the coming years will want to stay in their homes as long as possible but might need assistance to perform certain tasks.” The Imagine! SmartHome was now acknowledged formally, by the European Union Delegation to the United States.

Belgium: On April 7 th, 2010 we were informed by CEUCE Director Dr. Joseph Jupille of a possible tour of the SmartHome by the Ambassador of Belgium. On April 28th, 2010 it was confirmed by CEUCE Assistant Director Felicia Naranjo-Martinez, of a Boulder SmartHome tour request by the Office of Jan Matthysen, Belgium Ambassador to the United States. On May 27th, Ambassador and Mrs. Matthysen, Frank Schuchat the Honorary Belgian Counsel to Colorado, and other Belgian representatives toured the Imagine! Boulder SmartHome and engaged in an interesting discussion on assisted living cost comparisons between Europe and the US, with SmartHome creator and Imagine! Business Development Director, Greg Wellems.

France: On April 1, 2010, we contacted the office of Madame Nadine Morano, Secretary of State for the Government of France. We were able to have the assistance of a respected French businessman, Philippe Lepercq who also provided excellent translation services and valuable French Government contact information and facilitated the introduction of the Imagine! SmartHome international campaign to the Government of France. At the time, it appeared we would be able to travel to France to meet with Ms. Morano’s team, as her office had expressed interest in having us meet with her Disability Chief, Madame Canuet, personally to discuss our campaign in Paris in May. Regretfully, because of budgetary constraints regarding a unilateral trip to Paris, we requested a video conference with Madame Canuet’s Office, but were told that scheduling would need to be approached later in the year.

United States: Support from the US Department of Commerce continues. We applied to be a part of a trade delegation from the US to Saudi Arabia and Qatar after an invitation by the Department of Commerce. After a thorough review of our application by the trade specialists assigned to the delegation, it appeared our project would be too progressive for any public disability programs within those countries, and we were recommended to focus on countries with existing and advanced social programs for the disabled community. The US Department of Commerce’s Director for Colorado and Wyoming, Paul Bergman and his office have continued to express interest in supporting the international campaign, which is greatly appreciated. A further, positive development has been with the US Government Department of Health and Human Services Director of the Office on Disability, Henry Claypool. Mr. Claypool is very knowledgeable about Imagine! and its programs from the late 80s, when he was a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has been gracious with his time through email from his staff and personal phone conversations and has expressed interest on reviewing data on the SmartHome and its potential to cut Medicare costs in the future, by its use of energy efficient assistive and adaptive technologies.

Israel: In early June, we sent an email to Mr. Lawrence Normie, Executive Director of Geron Tech, the Israeli Center for Assistive Technology and Aging and received this very positive reply:

“Thank you for your mail; the information on Imagine! certainly is of topical interest. I am a member of a nongovernmental task group currently examining the strategic and functional requirements for deployment of smart home technologies for national aging-in-place programs here in Israel. I will distribute the information you have provided to my colleagues in the task group.”

Serbia: As indicated in the Interim Report, we have been in productive discussions with the Beneficiaries Center in Belgrade since March of this year. Through contacts made by SmartHome creator Greg Wellems based on an assistance mission to Belgrade in the early 00’s, Greg was able to propose the SmartHome international campaign to Rachel Chanin, the Director of the Beneficiaries Center. The Beneficiaries Center is in the process of securing a housing grant from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to help develop an assisted living facility. Imagine! submitted in September a proposal for an assistive and adaptive technology pilot project for the Beneficiaries Center. The project seeks to improve communications and motility, and overall greater independence for 16 Serbian participants. Here are quotes from page one of the proposal, beginning with paragraph 3:

“The project is to be conducted to educate members of the local Serbian community while being an example to the wider international community, on how to implement a project of this merit and scale. The project’s implementation is within the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“UNCRPD”) in regards to knowledge and technology information sharing. According to the United Nations, the estimated disabled population in the developing world alone is 520 million people. Assistive and adaptive technologies can provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional services for people that are most in need.”

And paragraphs 8 and 9 of the same page:

“Imagine! is proposing a unique partnership with the Beneficiaries Center. The partnership is designed to combine Imagine!’s expertise of supporting and providing assistive and adaptive technical support systems for individuals with developmental and cognitive disabilities, with the Beneficiaries Center’s knowledge and desire of improving the lives of individuals with developmental and cognitive disabilities in Belgrade.

The proposal is to have these two organizations working together, to implement technological devices that are designed to promote independence for individuals with developmental and cognitive disabilities. Most devices are relatively low cost, mobile and can be programmed into the individual’s native language. The assistive devices are an important tool to assist individuals with disabilities to learn and develop new skills to live productive lives within their communities”.

Germany: We received an email in April from Stephan Meyer, Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU) Member of Saxony State Parliament and CDU Spokesperson for Environmental Issues, who replied to our email from February on companies that would be interested in the technologies in the SmartHome. We sent him a thank you email, but because of the costs presently associated with travel to Germany in our campaign, we will await formal follow-up with the German companies once we receive additional funding.

Bulgaria: We met last February with Mr. Genady Kondarev, Consultant for Sustainable Energy Solutions, after which we also followed up with an email. He said he will look into the possibilities of our project in Bulgaria, but he felt that getting government support may be challenging. He has since sent a few emails of strong support for our project stating that he felt that we would have more positive outcomes in European countries that are already mentioned in this report.

AAATE, The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe: From June through August, 2010, we have been in extensive contact (phone and email) with Board Members of AAATE, representing some 30 countries. AAATE’s mission is "to stimulate the advancement of assistive technology for the benefit of people with disabilities, including elderly people".

The World Bank: We continue to be in contact with the Disability Team of the World Bank to offer helpful information on the international campaign and request assistance for aspects of our program. We encourage the World Bank’s participation in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UN and the World Bank met within the context of the UNCRPD in the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Accessibility, World Bank Headquarters, Washington, DC, 28 - 30 June 2010. A summary of the meeting is as follows:

The Expert meeting provided a forum for intensive exchanges of knowledge and experience relating to norms and standards, institutional arrangements, governance, technologies and actual practice related to accessibility and reasonable accommodation in the physical environments as well as in the fields of information and communication technologies(ICT). Special attention was directed to environmental and ICT accessibility and advancement of persons with disabilities in the context of developing countries. Universal design accorded special attention in the review and analysis of issues, trends and priorities for action in promoting accessibility as a means and goal of development.

Meeting objectives pursued by means of select presentations and round-table discussions of issues, trends, key concepts and practical methods of planning, design and evaluation of accessible environments in countries. Group work focused on examination and identification of (1) strategic frameworks to promote inclusive development and environmental accessibility with reasonable accommodation for all, and (2) priorities for action to strengthen national capacities and institutions and (3) empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities to participate as agents and beneficiaries in analysis, planning and design, implementation and evaluation of accessible environments in urban and rural areas.