Stacey Rocks Out

Stacey, a resident at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont has always enjoyed music, but has recently taken that to a new level by joining a band! Stacey plays her guitar every Sunday and loves performing for all of her friends and family!

CU Students Deliver Wheel of Fortune To Wes

In December, the CU engineering department loaned us some of their best and brightest minds to build an adaptive device for Wesley (pictured in the white shirt) and his Charles Family SmartHome housemates. This device features a simple switch adapter that allows Wesley, Shelly, and Toby to play a wheel of fortune based game along with up to 3 other players! It also plays music that can be chosen by Wesley!

Here’s a video of the students explaining their project.



Can’t see the video? Click here. 

The device was created as part of a project in Professor Melinda Piket-May’s class. Professor Piket-May has had her students create projects for Imagine! clients for more than four years now, with great success. Students in her Spring 2014 semester class are just beginning to work on their projects, and we can’t wait to see what they create to help improve the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Charles Family SmartHome Residents Meet Former Denver Bronco

This photo came to us from Chris DiRosa, who is the Site Supervisor at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Chris told us: “Toby, Wesley, and Stacey got to attend a special presentation by retired Broncos Running-back KaRon Coleman at New Horizons Christian Church. They stuck around after to chat with KaRon about the upcoming Super Bowl and even got autographs and a copy of his book! It was a super fun day for residents and staff both!!!”

*Note: KaRon played for the Denver Broncos for three years, and he scored his first touchdown, a 24 yard run, in the year 2000 during the last game at the old Mile High Stadium in Denver. That year he carried the ball 54 times for 183 yards.

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. Today Suzanne discusses how can we can use technology to teach individuals who are non-verbal, do not have communication devices, do not use body language cues to indicate their preferences, and have very limited mobility to express choices and interact intentionally with the world around them. Thanks Suzanne – we look forward to hearing more! 

There are several students at Imagine!’s Longmont CORE/Labor Source hub who do not have a
formal system of communication in place. These individuals are non-verbal, do not have communication devices, do not use body language cues to indicate their preferences, and have very limited mobility. How can we teach these students to express choices and interact intentionally with the world around them?

We are creating a new Assistive Technology Lab and a Cause-and-Effect class to teach these students basic communication concepts! Our new AT Lab has many adaptations beyond the typical keyboard-and-mouse setup. We have purchased a variety of switches that differ in size, shape, color, sensitivity, and activation method. Students will learn to activate these switches to turn on individually determined preferred reinforcers; i.e., music, a short video, colorful spinning lights, etc. The individuals learn that activating the switch activates something that they enjoy. The process looks something like this:

Student presses or activates a switch > Reinforcer immediately turns on. 

Student stops activating the switch > Reinforcer turns off. 

Once this concept is mastered, we move on the next step: Two-switch differentiation. The student has two switches to choose from.

Student activates correct switch > Reinforcer is turned on. 

Student activates other switch > Reinforcer remains off. 

After this concept is mastered, we can increase difficulty by adding more switches. We can connect different reinforcers to different switches and ask students to activate one vs. the other. We could ask the student to tell us which reinforcer they prefer, see if the student will express their preferences, work on fine motor skills, communication, choice-making and more! My deeper hope is that our students will learn that they have control over something in their environment. If they can master these cause-and-effect concepts, they could possibly learn to press a switch indicating “yes” or “no.” This would give them unprecedented freedom and control over their own lives!

I am excited to see how these students progress in a class designed just for them! I look forward to sharing their successes with you.

Stay tuned!

Bonus Tech Tuesday info! Check out this short video of Imagine!’s own Chris Baumgart explaining one cause and effect system used by Imagine! clients.


Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Lana Presents Her Art To Gov. Hickenlooper

Last Friday at the Imagine! Celebration, our annual fundraising event, Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Lana presented Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper with an original piece of art. Thanks to Gov. Hickenlooper and the more than 460 attendees for making the event such a success – it raised more than $238,000 for Imagine!’s programs, including our SmartHomes.

Twins!

This photo came to us in an email from Chantelle Tweten, the Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Shannon is the Assistant Site Supervisor at the home and Mandy is a resident. Chantelle told us: “Mandy and Shannon kept this a secret all day until Mandy came home from her day at CORE/Labor Source. I was working at my desk and when I turned around I saw TWINS. They went shopping at Macy's and got matching outfits. Shannon and Mandy both love to dress up!”

Stacey’s New Friend

Stacey, who lives in the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, has a new friend who has been visiting the house weekly. Cortney (daughter of Site Supervisor Chris DiRosa) and Stacey hang out together every week and play hide and seek at the house, cards, and Cortney even helps with the logistics of Stacey playing the guitar at her church. Way to go Cortney and Stacey!

Donna Hits The Slopes

Last week we showed a picture of Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald hitting the slopes at Eldora with Ignite Adaptive Sports. Here’s a picture of Donna the same day. Donna and Gerald have gone skiing every year from 2012 to 2014, and the supports provided by Ignite are a large part of what makes this trip possible.

Technology Tuesday

We’re going to use today’s Technology Tuesday to offer our sincere gratitude to Microsoft. We just found out that Microsoft is making a donation of $140,697.00 in Microsoft software to Imagine! in support of enhancing staff efficiency to build organizational capacity! Wow!

Microsoft partners with thousands of organizations like Imagine! around the world to help each one achieve its mission. Through their Microsoft Citizenship efforts, they provide technology tools, training, and resources that can help create opportunities and transform communities. We are honored to be part of their global community!

Microsoft, we thank you for your generous contribution, which will assist us tremendously in our mission to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities to become contributing members of their communities.

Gerald Tackles The Slopes

Gerald (pictured) and his wife Donna, both residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, had a great time skiing at Eldora on January 10 with Ignite Adaptive Sports and Donna’s primary counselor Phil Robinson. Phil said that you could hear Gerald shouting with excitement all the way down the mountain.

Great Work, Isaac!

Pictured is Isaac Marin (left), the Assistant Site Supervisor at the Charles Family SmartHome. Isaac received a “Heroic Award” from Imagine!’s Innovations department for his above and beyond service to the residents. He was forced to miss Sunday’s Denver Broncos playoff game due to a direct care immediate need and placed his service to others above his own plans. Isaac is a great asset to the team, and an example of fantastic dedication to the community we serve. Pictured on the right, Site Supervisor Chris DiRosa presents Isaac with his well deserved award. Way to go, Isaac!

Mandy's New Year's Story

Check out this great story written by Imagine! Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Mandy. Mandy wrote the text, then Shannon Bundy, who works at the SmartHome, helped her select pictures to include with the story.

Good Times At Fun Park

Here’s a nice picture of Charles Family SmartHome residents Anthony and Stacey enjoying the day at a recent trip to Gateway Fun Park.

Presentable

Next week, Imagine!’s technology guru Greg Wellems is scheduled to speak in New York at the IAC Technology Conference about our SmartHomes and how technology needs to be integrated into services. Good luck, Greg!

SmartHome Staffers At CES

For the past two days, Imagine! SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems and IT Director Kevin Harding were at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, checking out the latest technologies to see what can be translated for use in serving individuals with intellectual disabilities. For Imagine!, what happens in Vegas comes back to Colorado to improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens! Way to go, Greg and Kevin!

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper To Attend Imagine! Celebration

Gov. John Hickenlooper will be a special guest at Imagine!’s 13th annual Imagine! Celebration on Friday, January 24, 2014.

Imagine! invited Gov. Hickenlooper to attend the annual fundraiser to honor his significant role in providing support for individuals with developmental disabilities throughout his term of office. For the past four years – in good years and in difficult years for the economy – each November 1, Hickenlooper’s budget request has included funding for developmental disabilities. He has made significant investments in this area as a budget priority.

This year, for example, he added funds to the budget to reduce wait lists and to provide additional support for individuals and families. For Imagine!, this means that 34 more adults and 57 additional children will receive services. And the governor’s proposal for next year is even more promising. Mark Emery, CEO of Imagine!, notes, “We are very grateful for Gov. Hickenlooper’s continuing focus on improving the lives of those with developmental disabilities in our state, and I know that Imagine!’s staff, its boards, and our donors will be pleased to have the opportunity to thank the governor in person for his remarkable support of the developmental disabilities community.”

This year’s event will again be held at the Plaza Conference Center at 1850 Industrial Circle in Longmont. More information about sponsors, auction items, and all of the festivities is available on the Imagine! website (www.imaginecolorado.org/foundCelebration.htm) and the Imagine! Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ImagineColorado). Purchase tickets and tables online at https://secure.imaginecolorado.org/ssl/CelebrationRSVP.htm. Reserve now, and we’ll look forward to seeing you on January 24!

Happy Anniversary, Greg!

Today, SmartHomes guru Greg Wellems is celebrating his 23rd Anniversary working at Imagine!. Congrats Greg, and thanks for your forward thinking leadership in using technology to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities!

Happy Birthday, Rae!

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Rae. Make it a great one, Rae!

Happy New Year!

Gerald, Mandy, Donna, and the rest of Imagine!’s SmartHome residents and staff members wish you a very happy new year!