SmartHome Staffer Shares His Thoughts

We mentioned a couple of days ago that Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald presented longtime Imagine! supporter Todd Saliman with an original painting. Gerald attended the event with SmartHome staff member Richard Lowe. Afterward, Richard sent the email below. Thanks for sharing, Richard!

I dropped Gerald off last night after he had presented one of his paintings in thanks to a Colorado lobbyist who is advocating for Imagine! state funding. Most of the SmartHome consumers were in the living room, and when we told them where we’d been, they applauded. Literally applauded; everybody was so happy for Gerald, who beamed like only Gerald can. Rebecca smiled and raised both hands above her head for high-fives when she told me that she had a new job. John told me about loving his job. Lana said that she was having a meeting this Friday for getting a job. Chris has worked at Imagine!’s Dixon Building for years now. Donna loves working at In Clover.

What impressed me was the excitement and pride each consumer expressed when they spoke of their jobs. Working is a very significant step for CORE/Labor Source consumers. Through work they graduate from being solely recipients of services, to participants in the creation of value, and this positively affects their self-esteem in obvious ways. Through work they are developing a stronger sense of “I CAN!,” which is bound to spill over into other areas of their lives.

It’s what we’re doing at Imagine!: Creating and providing innovative supports . . . so that people who have disabilities can lead fulfilling lives of independence and quality.

Interest In SmartHomes Continues To Grow

Word about our SmartHomes continues to spread, and interested parties are contacting us from unexpected places. Case in point: on Wednesday, SmartHome project manager Sterling Wind received a call from a staff member for Texas State Senator Kirk Watson, wanting to discuss disability services, assistive technology, and our SmartHomes.

Sterling did his very best to answer the questions, because he knows better than to mess with Texas!

Thanks, Senator Watson, for looking into new ways of serving some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Gerald Thanks Imagine! Supporter

Last night at Imagine!’s Board of Directors meeting, Imagine! SmartHome resident Gerald presented Todd Saliman with a framed piece of artwork that Gerald painted himself in honor of Todd’s tireless work on behalf of Imagine! and individuals with developmental disabilities across the state of Colorado.

Todd’s resume is quite impressive. From 1994 to 2002, Todd served in the Colorado House of Representatives. During his term he spent four years on the influential Joint Budget Committee. From 1996 to 2002 Todd also served on Imagine!’s Board of Directors. From 2003 to 2006, Todd served as a lobbyist for Imagine!, and in 2006 Todd was appointed by then Colorado governor Bill Ritter to head the state’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting. After helping with the transition into the current Governor John Hickenlooper’s administration, Todd has returned to lobbying for Imagine! and other clients, joining forces with Tanya Kelly-Bowry as part of the Policy Matters lobbying firm.

The common thread running through all of Todd’s accomplishments is a deep commitment to protecting some of Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens – individuals with developmental disabilities. His often heroic efforts during a time of deep economic uncertainty has meant that funding for services in our state has avoided some of the deep and painful budget cuts that otherwise may have hit our field. As Imagine! CEO Mark Emery put it, “There isn’t one individual with a developmental disability in our state that hasn’t benefited because of Todd’s work.”

In the picture below, Imagine! CEO Mark Emery (far left) claps as Todd (second from left) holds up Gerald’s painting. Greg Wellems (second from right) and Gerald look on.

Congratulations Todd, and thanks for all you have done for us!

Congratulations, Leona!

Today we’d like to offer our congratulations to Leona Stoecker, past president of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors and one of the staunchest supporters of our SmartHomes project. Leona has been named as a finalist for the Longmont Community Foundation’s “Giving Spark” Award. Whether she wins or not, her spark is invaluable to us at Imagine!.

To learn more about all the great things Leona does for her community, click on the graphic below. The story is from when Leona was recognized as an icon of Boulder County by the Boulder County Business Report in a special publication called “Milestones: Icons and History of the Boulder Valley.” To make the picture bigger so you can read it better, just click on it again.

Thanks Leona, for all you have done for our SmartHomes!

Presentable

On Thursday, September 29, Imagine! SmartHomes project manager will be working at a SmartHomes information booth during the 2011 IBM Employee Extravaganza. IBM has been a supporter of Imagine! and our SmartHomes in the past, and this is a great opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with IBM employees and show them how technology is changing the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Thanks, IBM!

Now You’re Saving – On Gas!

Our decision to use green technologies when building our SmartHomes is already paying dividends in the form of cost savings. Below is an energy use comparison between the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont and a comparable home operated by Imagine! from January 2011 through August 2011.

You can see that we are seeing significant reductions in average energy use and saving an average of $3.36 per day! That is the kind of savings that can really add up in the long run, and the money saved can be used to provide more services to more individuals with developmental disabilities. Good stuff!

Guess Who’s Touring The SmartHome?

We had a great tour yesterday at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. The “tourists” included local Longmont residents who visited with past Imagine! Foundation Board president (and all around superstar SmartHome supporter) Leona Stoecker.

Do you want to tour Imagine!’s SmartHome and see first-hand how technology is improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Just click here. 

CU Students Developing Assistive Tech For SmartHomes Residents

Once again, students in CU Professor Melinda Piket-May’s Engineering class will be working on projects to design some simple adaptive technologies for SmartHome residents and other individuals served by Imagine!. This has turned into a great collaboration that is mutually beneficial. Students are meeting today with SmartHome team members to get started. They will see the presentation below to give them a sense of the history of services for individuals with developmental disabilities, and why the projects they are working on are so important.

Learn more, and to see videos from previous class projects, by clicking here.

A Brief History of Services for People With Developmental Disabilities in Colorado – And a Glimpse at the Future

View more presentations from Fred Hobbs

SmartHome Staffers To Present At ARC Convention This Weekend

Are you planning on attending the Arc National Convention in Denver this weekend? Superstar SmartHome staffers Sterling Wind and Fred Hobbs will be presenting as part of the Exchange – a series of roundtable discussion groups - on “Using Social Media to Connect, Communicate and Network Regardless of Ability / Disability.”

Can’t make it to the convention? Get a sneak peak at their presentation below:

Using Social Media To Connect, Communicate, and Network Regardless of Ability/Disability

View more presentations from Fred Hobbs

Can’t see the presentation? Click here.

Thanks To Our SmartHome DSPs

This week is National Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week.

So today we’d like to give a great big shout out to the DSPs who work side by side with SmartHome residents to help them live, learn, work, and play in our community. Even though the SmartHomes are infused with technology, in the end, it is the DSPs who ensure that the technology is a means to a bigger end: a better life for the residents living there.

SmartHome DSPs work hard every to to ensure SmartHome residents are living meaningful, productive lives, and participating in community activities including work, recreation, and volunteerism alongside other community members.

Visit http://www.youneedtoknowme.org/ to learn more about DSPs and the tremendous difference they make each day in the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities.

And click here to see Imagine! CEO Mark Emery’s recent blog post honoring the all the dedicated DSPs who work for Imagine!.

Happy Anniversary Gerald and Donna!

Wishing a happy anniversary (albeit a day late) to Boulder’s cutest couple: Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Gerald and Donna. Here’s to many more!

Presentable

Yes, we’ve done several “Presentable” blog posts in a row. That’s only because so many organizations are looking to Imagine!’s SmartHomes as a model for a new way of providing services, whether in individual homes or in a congregate residential setting.

Here’s the latest example. In October, at the 3rd Annual ANCOR Technology Leadership Summit, SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems will be presenting on: Strategically Incorporating Technology in Your Operations.

Good luck Greg!

Presentable

In October, SmartHomes project manager Sterling Wind is scheduled to present on our SmartHomes at the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association (PCPA) 2011 Conference. Earlier this year, Greg Wellems presented on the same subject at PCPA’s annual technology conference. The SmartHomes were such a hit there they invited us back to their overall conference.

Hats off to you, Sterling!

Presentable

Interest in what we are doing at our SmartHomes and how we are using technology to better serve those with developmental disabilities continues to grow. At the end of this month, SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems and PR guy Fred Hobbs will be presenting at the Oregon Disability MegaConference. Greg will discuss assistive technology, Fred will talk about social media. We know they’ll do Imagine! proud!

Mandy's Short Story - The Little Girl’s Birthday Dream

Note: The story below was written by Mandy, who lives at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, and is using some of the technology in the SmartHome and in CORE/Labor Source classes to write articles for the Imagine! employee newsletter. If you cross paths with Mandy, please thank her for her valued contributions to the newsletter.

There was a little girl. She had a dream. The little girl couldn't decide what she wanted for her birthday. She was turning four. She still wanted to learn to read. The parents and teachers felt she needed to learn her ABCs, counting, colors, writing, spelling, words, and math. The parents said, yes indeed. The little girl said, I go to school to play with my friends and to learn how to cook. I'm not in school to learn about everyday life skills. Most kids my age want to go to school and they like school. I think school is boring. I don't have to get up in the morning to get on the bus for school. I’m not going to college and I don't have any knowledge. My friends are doing things I'm not but I'm going to cooking school. I like reading cookbooks, just not regular books for school.

The little girl had her fourth birthday. She got a toy kitchen and things to put in the oven. She invited all her friends in the neighborhood. She got a chocolate cake with trick candles for her birthday cake. Have a great day. It's my birthday.

Guess Who’s Touring The SmartHomes?

Last week, Board Members of California-based The Cedars of Marin, which has offered day programs and residential care for adults with developmental disabilities for 92 years, took a tour of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

According to their website,

Cedars supports individuals through award winning, innovative day programs that involve them in community service projects, work experiences, textile arts, gardening, creative arts and functional academics. These programs are complemented by residential and social services where staff, volunteers, families and members of the community provide friendship, social activities, and a warm home environment.

The tour was arranged by our good friend Geoff Cooper, CEO of CaraSolva.

You don’t have to know Geoff to take a tour, however. If you are interested in seeing first hand how technology is changing the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities, click here.

Gerald Doing Inventory Work

We mentioned yesterday that Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald recently joined the ranks of the gainfully employed when Twisted Pine Brewery hired him to do a variety of tasks, including counting inventory. And to think just a few short years ago, Gerald couldn’t even count to ten! Here’s a short video of Gerald hard at work:



Can’t see the video? Click here.