Thank You, University Baptist Church Volunteers

Last Thursday, a group of seven volunteers from University Baptist Church in Arkansas did some work at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont as part of their short-term missions trip. The volunteers completely organized, inventoried, and cleaned the basement and storage areas and helped move large adaptive equipment for the residents. It was a hard day’s work, but amazing results were accomplished due to their service. Thank you to the group and all those at Imagine! who made this possible.

Check Out The Latest SmartHomes Newsletter

The latest Imagine! SmartHomes newsletter is available online.

Check it out here.

Rebecca Works Out

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Rebecca has been working hard on getting in shape. Last week she spent 1 hour and 20 minutes working out! 50 minutes on the bike and rowing machine doing cardio, then 30 minutes working on toning her arms with weights! She was on fire! Way to go, Rebecca!

Baking Appple Pie

 

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Donna and Gerald helped staff member Sean Parsons make a homemade apple pie in the SmartHome kitchen. Donna helped by prepping the apples before baking.

Check out the video below of the bakers in action.


Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Technology Tuesday

Here is a fun, short video showing Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Chris working on his literacy skills. The game he is playing was designed by Imagine! staff members using off the shelf software, allowing them to personalize and customize it to his needs.

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

New Table Makes Socializing Easier At SmartHome

Check out this cool new table in the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. This was donated by Dr. Jeff Kupfer, who works for Imagine! Behavioral Health Services. The table has been placed in the game playing area of the house. Previously, there was a coffee table there, which was less convenient due to its lack of height. Now all residents, including those who use wheelchairs, have a comfortable table on which to play games and for arts and crafts projects. Lana likes the beauty of the table and is excited to use it with game volunteers on Sundays and craft times on Mondays.

Gerald As The Wizard!

This is a photo of Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald as the Wizard of Oz at Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source performance last Friday night at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. The theater was packed, pretty much a sold out show again. Congratulations to everyone who was in the performance or had their art on display at the art show. What a great night!

Stacey Celebrates

Here are a couple of nice photos from Charles Family SmartHome resident Stacey’s birthday celebration with her friends, including her housemate Anthony. She had a fantastic birthday, enjoyed her gifts, and even got to eat her favorite foods, which Wesley helped cook.

Happy Birthday, Stacey

Wishing the happiest of birthdays today to Charles Family SmartHome resident Stacey. Make it a great one, Stacey!

Technology Tuesday

Important assistive tech update.

An individual who needs a speech-generating device must meet face-to-face with a physician or nonphysician practitioner before receiving the device, according to new Medicare rules that took effect Oct. 1 last year.

Learn more here.

Stacey Rocks Out

On Friday night, Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department held its annual art show and performance. The performance was based on “The Wizard of Oz” and named, “A Brain, A Heart, the Noive: Imagine! Presents The Wizard of Oz.” Here’s a picture of Charles Family SmartHome resident Stacey rockin’ the guitar during the performance.

Donna and Gerald Fish Indoors

Recently, Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Donna and Gerald went to the International Sportsman's Expo in Denver. The event had a trout tank exhibit that allowed people to fish, and so the pair took the opportunity to enjoy a little bit of indoor fishing.

Colorado Joint Legislative Resolution on the Declaration on the Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access

You may recall that in October 2013, at the 13th Annual Coleman Institute National Conference on Cognitive Disability and Technology, the Declaration on the Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access was introduced for the first time. You can see and endorse the declaration here.

The Declaration calls on all of us to assure that people with cognitive disabilities enjoy the same rights of access to contemporary technologies and information as everyone enjoys.

Colorado House District 19 Representative and former House Majority Leader, Representative Amy Stephens has, from her first read, championed the Declaration as a foundational document. She recognizes the profundity of what it calls on us as a community, as a state and as a nation to do.

In that vein, Rep. Stephens, along with Senator Irene Aguilar, also long a champion of the rights of people with disabilities, sponsored the Declaration as a Colorado House-Senate Joint Resolution, heard today, March 13.

This formal adoption of the Declaration underscores its incredible importance, as well as what it compels us to do in supporting people with disabilities. And demonstrating our state’s leadership on this issue, Colorado is the first legislative body in the nation to endorse the declaration.

Imagine! CEO Mark Emery was in attendance today as the Resolution was passed.

Donna And Gerald At The Train Show

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Donna and Gerald went to the Rocky Mountain Toy Train Show earlier this month. They both had a blast, and Gerald left with a new electric train to add to his growing collection.

Technology Tuesday

Last fall, we told you that Sri Kurniawan, Associate Professor at the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California Santa Cruz was collaborating with Imagine! by having some of her students help to create apps for Imagine! clients as part of a student project.

Here’s an update on one of the projects:

Students have created a customizable app for individuals served by Imagine! to use to study and review numbers, shapes, and colors. The app is an HTML 5 app, so it works on cross platforms (for example, on an iPad or on a desktop computer).

When an individual uses the app, the results are shared to a database, so an administrator can have easy access to results and track progress of each individual using the app.

The customizable aspect of the app means it can be tailored to create personalized reinforcers, which means it can be adapted to the user’s age and interests.

Right now the app is being tested. Below are some screen shots from that testing, showing how it works.

 The home page.

 

This is a number prompting mode. A voice prompt asks the user to select a particular number.

If the user isn’t able to identify the number, the voice prompt asks the user to identify the number again, but makes it a little easier by highlighting the number on the screen.

If the user still can’t identify the number, another prompt is offered and the number becomes even easier to identify. However, the user can’t move forward in the game until he or she correctly identifies the number. 

When the user correctly identifies the number, he or she gets a personalized reinforcer and can move forward with the game. So in this case, a Broncos fan can get a “way to go” from none other than Peyton Manning himself!

Wes Is Cookin’!

Here is a nice picture of Charles Family SmartHome resident Wes in a cooking class. Wes takes the class twice a week, and he enjoys stirring, grinding, and chopping ingredients for meals using his adaptive technology.

Meet The Residents of the Charles Family SmartHome

This video, created by Imagine!'s Charles Family SmartHome site Supervisor Chris DiRosa, provides a great introduction to the residents living in this unique home.

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Mandy Thanks Furniture Donors

 
The residents at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome recently received a donation of a new couch. The donors are the parents of Shannon Bundy, who currently works at the home and will be the new Site Supervisor ther when the current Site Supervisor, Chantelle Tweten, takes over as the Site Supervisor at Imagine!’s brand new Next Step Group Home in Broomfield. SmartHome resident Mandy wrote a lovely thank you note to Shannon’s parents:

Dear Judy @ Brian, 

Thank you very much for donating the really nice furniture to us. That was exstremely generous and thoughtful of the two of you. We always sit on it when we are watching television because it is very comfortable and we can put our feet up, lean back and relax. it goes well with the rest of the furniture. 

we are all very excited to have Shannon as our new supvisor. We know how important it is to Shannon to be able to take over her new position. We know Shannon has our best interest in mind. Shannon is a great person. Thank you for everything you do and thank you for the Tshirts also.

Mandy

Spread The Word To End The Word

Today is Spread The Word to End the Word Day.

  

It is time we Spread the Word to End the Word and build awareness for society to stop and think about its’ use of the R-word. Most people don’t think of this word as hate speech, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and their friends. The R-word is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur.

Make your pledge to choose respectful people first language at www.R-word.org.

Technology Tuesday

Gary’s Blogging Tips 

You may be aware that Imagine! has a blog called “Imagine! Voices,” which features the words, art, and photos of individuals served by Imagine!. The idea behind this blog is that the individuals served by Imagine! are able to use social media as a platform to provide a unique perspective on life and to demonstrate the many contributions they are bringing to their community every day.

However, like many of us, some of the individuals we serve weren’t really sure how to get started with sharing their stories. So recently, Imagine!’s Communication Coordinator Gary Stebick put together a video offering some simple tips on how to share stories in fun and interesting ways. The video was made for residents of Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, so there are reference to audio emails, which is how the residents in the home communicate with Gary. But the tips can work for anyone.

Thanks for sharing, Gary!


Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Guess Who’s Touring The SmartHomes?

Taking a tour of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome last Thursday: Reggie Bicha, Director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, and Vicki Manley, Director of Colorado’s Office of Community Access and Independence. In the photo, you can see (from left to right in back) Chantelle Tweten, Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome Site Supervisor, Ben Rodman, Program Manager for Imagine!’s staffed sites, Mark Emery, Imagine! CEO, Director Manley, Director Bicha, and SmartHome resident Mandy in the front.