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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Rebecca and all the SmartHome residents and staff members!

Getting In The Thanksgiving Spirit

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Donna is getting in the spirit of Thanksgiving by learning about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower.

Technology Tuesday

This week’s Technology Tuesday comes to you from Suzanne Phillips, the newest Communication Teacher at Imagine!’s Longmont CORE/Labor Source hub. She gives a great example of how technology is being used in her classes to help overcome the challenges that arise when teaching a class of students who have a wide range of abilities and communication methods. Thanks Suzanne – we look forward to hearing more!

Suzanne Phillips

There is a challenge that presents itself to every teacher at CORE/Labor Source. Every day we ask ourselves, “How can I be sure that today’s lesson will reach ALL of my students?” In any given classroom there may be a combination of students with complete hearing loss, students with impaired vision, students who are completely non-verbal, etc. As teachers we must create activities and lesson plans that actively engage every individual…but how can we accomplish this?

Innovative classroom technology makes this possible. Take for example Longmont CORE’s Thursday morning Communication Class. This class includes three non-verbal students that use communication devices and one partially verbal student who does not use a communication device. Playing a game of Hangman with this class is very different than playing a traditional game of Hangman! As the students take turns choosing a letter, it looks something like this:

• One student who is proficient with her communication device will decide on a specific letter, highlight that letter on the screen of her communication device and use her head to press a switch that is connected to her communication device. The device will then announce this letter out loud.
• Two other students in the class who use communication devices will choose one of the following groups of letters: A-I, J-R or S-Z. They choose a group of letters by pressing a head switch that is connected to their communication device. Staff then connects an All-Turn-It Spinner to their head switch, the student presses their head switch and the spinner’s arrow will turn and then eventually land on a letter within the group of letters that the student had previously indicated.
• The fourth student who is partially verbal is given a laminated letter board and an expo marker. This student will circle a letter on the letter board and staff will encourage her to say this letter out loud.

Having the technology to facilitate a class like this is crucial. By putting these adaptations to use, the teacher can help students with very different communication methods achieve similar goals within one classroom activity. As we continue to develop more specific adaptations for our students, they in turn have greater opportunities to achieve their goals. Stay tuned to see what we’re doing in our classrooms next!

John Has A New Job

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident John is excited to be working at a new job at Celestial Seasonings. Congrats, John!

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome Therapy Dog and Volunteer Celebrate First Anniversary

November 14 marked the one year anniversary of when Raven, the beloved therapy dog, began coming to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Ingrid (Raven’s handler) and Raven celebrated their first year as our volunteers with the residents on their anniversary date. Once John heard them walk in, he came right out of his room and said “Raven is here!.”  Ingrid and Raven stood by to support and cheer on Rebecca and Donna as they did their exercises. The residents love to snuggle and pet Raven, and Raven loves getting treats. We look forward to another year to come. Pictured with Raven the therapy dog (front row lying down) are some of the residents and staff members from the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. From the left, front row and sitting are residents Rebecca (having fun making a face), Mandy, Gerald, and Donna. In the back row and standing are John (resident), Chantelle (Site Supervisor), Chris (resident), Phil (live in staff member), and Lana (resident).

Studying The States

This photos came to us in a visit on Monday to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. Three of the residents are working on a project orchestrated by Claudette Moloney, one of the counselors at the home. The project involves them each choosing a state they wanted to research, and making posters with various information about those states. John chose New York, Rae chose California (where she was born), and Lana chose Oklahoma. Below are some photos of the project. The posters include items such as the state bird, state flower, state motto, state capital, and a map of the state. It seems like a safe bet that not many people know that the state muffin of New York is the "apple muffin," but thanks to John, now we know.

John with his New York state book.

John's New York poster.

Lana's Oklahoma book.

Rae's California poster.

Flood Recovery Update

Here’s an update on the repairs to the flood damaged basement of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome as of last Friday, along with some photos. The basement apartment has been dry walled, textured, and painted. The kitchen cabinets and counter have been installed. The floors are completed. We are half way done with the bathroom and the base molding, doors, and door trim has been installed. It’s coming along very nicely!

 

 

 

 

Technology Tuesday

Imagine! isn’t just using technology to improve the lives of the individuals we serve, we are also using technology to help employees be more effective as caregivers.

Case in point: Imagine! has begun providing some Direct Service Employees (DSPs) training that “teaches them to teach.” In other words, training that instructs DSPs on how to provide services in such a manner as to assist the individual being served in learning skills that can be used in many aspects of daily living. Imagine! has always operated on the philosophy that individuals with intellectual disabilities have much to offer their community. It is our role at Imagine! to facilitate those opportunities through skills acquisition. The more services we can deliver that provides for lifelong learning, the better we are able to fulfill that role.

“Teaching the teachers” can be tricky, so Imagine! is looking at technology to ensure its DSPs have access to the tools they need in order to succeed in their roles as care providers. Imagine! is creating video tutorials that will be accessible to caregivers through SmartView, Imagine!’s online training system. This way, the DSPs can access the training at a time and place that is convenient to them, and the trainings can be delivered with greater frequency and at a smaller cost to Imagine!.

We’ll keep you posted as this project moves forward!

Guess Who’s Touring The SmartHomes?

This past Friday, five students from Longmont High School toured the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. Two of the students are planning to major in Engineering, and this was a great opportunity for them to see first-hand how developing those skills could benefit individuals with developmental disabilities by helping to create assistive technology. It was wonderful to see young people who are so dedicated and compassionate.

SmartHomes Guru Greg Wellems Shares “50 Years” Story

Imagine! SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems recently shared his story as part of Imagine!’s “50 Years, 50 Stories” series.

Check it out here.

Mandy and Shelly Dine Out

Pictured are Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Mandy (left) and Charles Family SmartHome resident Shelly enjoying lunch at Johnny Carino’s Restaurant. In an audio email, Mandy told us she and Shelly ate pizza and drank Coke, and Shannon (who took the photo) had a salad and tea. Mandy said, “It was really good, and the table next to us bought us a $50 gift certificate which I thought was cool. We didn’t have to pay for our lunch except for the tip. It was really, really nice.”

Loren Rocks Out

If you know Loren, who lives in the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, you know he loves music. Here’s a fun photo of Loren in a CORE/Labor Source music class with Amanda Byrant, who is a Neurologic Music Therapist and service provider for Imagine!. The music class is held in the Music Discovery Garden at the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. The instrument that Loren and Amanda are playing is one of many high quality, durable musical instruments designed by Grammy Award winning musician Robert Cooke, the founder of Freenotes Harmony Park. Freenotes are built to maintain pure and soothing tones through years of rigorous play and exposure to the elements of nature, and are ideal for musical beginners and experts alike. The new Music Discovery Garden has a collection of large, outdoor, interactive percussion instruments that include “Contrabass Chimes,” “The Swirl,” the “Flying Amadinda,” and three “WeeNotes.” These exciting outdoor instruments have been installed on the northwest corner of the center, which invites you to come over anytime and give their new outdoor instruments a try.

Technology Tuesday

Imagine! is partnering with University of Wyoming students to create assistive technology for individuals served by Imagine!. We’ve already told you about the Assistive Technology Robot Arm and Wrist Support they are working on, but there is also one other project in the works.

The other project involves making modular adjustable tables. The tables would move up and down so that individuals who use wheelchairs of varying heights could find the height that best works for them when using a table. And since they will be modular, they can be combined with other adjustable tables, so several people can sit at a table together even if they have different needs in terms of how high tabletops need to be to accommodate the wheelchairs. This could increase opportunities to interact with others instead of the isolation that can come when special accommodations aren’t available to those who use wheelchairs for mobility.

We’ll keep you posted as the projects move forward.

Thank You Fall River Elementary!

In the last week of October, members of the student council at Fall River Elementary School in Longmont held a fundraiser to help Imagine! and the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome recover from the recent flooding that damaged many of our homes. The fundraiser brought in $494.11! Wow! Thanks to all the students and teachers who participated! In the first picture below, Imagine! PR Director Fred Hobbs accepts the check from student council treasurer Mason while Principal Dr. Jennifer Guthals looks on. In the second photo, residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome offer their thanks.

Fall River Elementary rocks!

 

 

Mandy Rocks Out!

Some participants in one of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source classes, including Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Mandy, recently finished recording their very own cover of "Layla," originally by Derek and The Dominos. Instructor Kelly Faus used music technology equipment and software to record the CORE/Labor Source musicians making a variety of sounds, then plugged the sounds into a "MIDI" (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file, recorded a vocal track on top, and mixed everything into one final track. Check out the song below.



Can’t see the video? Click here. 

The recording features:

Bruce Whitaker on vocals.

Mandy Kretsch on guitars. Kelly recorded a few samples of Mandy plucking a single note on an electric ukulele. This note was then manipulated by the MIDI file.

Scott Scamehorn on drums. Scott played a single beat for the snare drum (coffee can containing a few grains of rice), tom drum (empty coffee can), bass drum (desk chair cushion), and cymbals (metal water bottle). All of these sounds were played according to the pre-sequenced file.

The recording artists are quite excited about this project, and if you’d like to send a supportive comment to them please send an email to kfaus@imaginecolorado.org. Kelly will pass along your comment to the performers.

Great work, everyone!

The band, pictured from left to right: Bruce Whitaker, Scott Scamehorn,  staff member Kelly Faus, and Mandy Kretsch.

In The News

Imagine!’s SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems was recently quoted in an article in the Hartford Business Journal about the “tsunami of change is occurring in the healthcare industry” and how technology can be used to help aging adults continue to live a quality and meaningful life in environments of their own choosing. Way to go Greg! 

Flood Recovery Update

Here’s some photos of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome basement from last week showing the tremendous progress we have made in recovering from the flood. The basement has been drywalled, textured, and painted. Flooring has been ordered and an install date set. Cabinets are being installed this week. The kitchen and bathroom are well on their way to being finished, and new doors will be installed soon. Thanks for all the help to all who worked on this, especially our team of AmeriCorps volunteers!

 

 

 

 

Technology Tuesday

Teaching The Foundation Of Communication

A resident at Imagine!’s 19th St Group Home is working with his DynaVox communication device to learn a new method of accessing his device. The resident presses a switch with his head to interact with his device, and the speaker connected to the switch provides the resident with auditory cues.

As with any new skill, it’s important to master the fundamentals before jumping into something more complex. We worked through a few activities with the resident, and we were able to determine a) what he enjoys, and b) areas where he could use his device to exert more influence in his typical environments.

What you see in the video below is Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Specialist Chris Baumgart demonstrating a cause and effect activity, such as one used by the resident. This is one of the first major building blocks that form the foundation of communication. The activity is simple enough: Any time the resident is watching videos on TV (videos on the internet, DVDs, etc.), the video will play for five minutes. At that point, the video will stop, and the resident will be prompted to press the switch to continue the video. As soon as he does, the video will resume for an additional five minutes. The simplicity of this activity serves to quickly reinforce the relationship for the resident between cause and effect, and requires little additional active support from his staff. Once this building block is mastered, i.e., once the resident is able to keep pressing the switch more quickly, the videos will begin playing for a shorter amount of time, and he will gradually be able to access more choices simply by listening to his auditory speaker.

 

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Presentable

Imagine!’s SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems is speaking today at the New England Home Healthcare Consortium’s 2013 Summit. In addition to taking part in a panel discussion on “The Home Healthcare Economic Boom Courtesy of the Baby Boomers,” he will be giving his own presentation on “Digital Home Healthcare and Technology.”

Check Out The Latest SmartHomes Newsletter

Imagine!’s latest SmartHomes newsletter is available online.

Check it out here.