Motion Sensor Trash Cans Help Keep SmartHome Clean

Sometimes simple technologies can make a big difference. Mandy is excited about the new motion sensor trash cans at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. When she moves her hand over them, they open and she can throw her own trash away. Mandy told us that in the past, sometimes her trash would end up on the floor when she tried to dispose of it, and her wheelchair made it difficult for her to pick it back up. "I'm happy I'm able to throw my own garbage away," Mandy told us. "The new cans are taller, too, so I can see where I'm aiming."

Check Out The Latest SmartHomes Newsletter

Imagine!’s latest SmartHomes newsletter is available online.

Check it out here. 

Gerald Thanks Businesses That Support Imagine!

On August 9, Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source (CLS) department held an employer recognition and art show at Twisted Pine Brewery. Pictured below from left are are: Kate Veeder (CLS), Kim (Twisted Pine), Gerald (Twisted Pine employee and Imagine! SmartHome resident), Jean (Twisted Pine), and Kelly (Twisted Pine). Our thanks to all the local businesses that employ people who receive vocational services from CORE/Labor Source.

Technology Tuesday!

This week’s Technology Tuesday comes to you from Suzanne Phillips, a Communication Teacher at Imagine!’s Longmont CORE/Labor Source hub. Today Suzanne gives updates on how Imagine! is using technology to teach individuals who are non-verbal, who do not have communication devices, who do not use body language cues to indicate their preferences, and who have very limited mobility to express choices and interact intentionally with the world around them through “cause and effect” methods. 

Exciting things are happening in the world of Imagine! Tech.

Our new cause and effect class has hit the ground running! If you are new to our blog, this is a computer-based class designed for four students 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 preferences, and have very limited mobility. Despite these challenges, these amazing individuals have been learning and mastering new skills faster than I would have ever thought possible! I have been working hard to keep up with the lightning pace that they have set for me. Here’s some of the progress that I have already seen in a few short weeks:

• All four students have learned to press switches to turn on various reinforcers. These reinforcers include music, short videos, colorful spinning lights, and shoulder massage pillows.
• Some students who I had never seen use their hands intentionally, even to eat or drink, have been pressing switches to activate sensory devices at an incredible rate. One of these students has pressed a switch up to 20 times per minute to turn on lights or a shoulder massage pillow. 
• One student has mastered pressing switches and he’s moved on to using an adaptive touch-screen computer to play games, turn on music and watch movie clips. 

I am excited to introduce new concepts and games to these students as we move forward. We have purchased several new sensory switches and I am creating new educational computer games with Boardmaker Studio software. I can’t wait to see what these students will master next as they build on these basic skills. I will share their future successes with you soon – 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. 

SmartHomes In The News

We told you last week that Imagine! CEO Mark Emery was interviewed by 9 News about the Aaron Tuneberg tragedy and Colorado’s wait list for services for individuals with I/DD. Mark’s interview didn’t make the video piece, but he is mentioned in the text part of the story, highlighting Imagine!’s use of technology as a way to address the need for services. Click here for the video and the written piece. You may also recognize some of the SmartHome residents in the background.

Fun Friday Photo

Fun Friday photo: Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Chris and staff member Cailin sure seem to enjoy hanging out together.

SmartHome Wish Granted

The Imagine! Foundation’s Wish List is an effort to increase opportunities for donations that will help Imagine! meet its mission. The Wish List includes items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs for the individuals we serve.

Today we’d like to thank David and Karen Kalis for granting one of Imagine!’s wishes! David and Karen donated a table to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. The new table is larger than the table that was in the eating area previously, offering more opportunities for socialization.

Pictured below are residents Lana and Chris enjoying each other’s company around the new table.

Thanks, David and Karen, for supporting Imagine! and the people we serve.

Interview At The SmartHome

Yesterday, Imagine! CEO Mark Emery was interviewed at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome by 9 News reporter Anastasiya Bolton for a story about Aaron Tunenerg and the wait list for services in Colorado. Look for the story this evening, either on Denver’s channel 9 or 20. We’ll post more details when we get confirmation of air time.

Technology Tuesday

This week’s Technology Tuesday comes from Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Lab facilitator Stephanie Tilley. Stephanie is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist who has worked for Imagine! for more than 10 years, and is the author of “101 Adapted Games for Kids,” which provides adaptations for children’s activities to create inclusive activities and environments. 

 During the Assistive Technology class at Imagine!’s Boulder CORE/Labor Source hub, some of the clients have been working on writing posts for the Imagine! Voices Blog. One of the clients, Robert Strieby, has been working on using the Dragon voice recognition software to become more independent in writing his blog posts.

When Robert first started making blog posts, he and I would start out by talking about what he wanted to include in his blog post, and I would write down the main points that Robert said he wanted to include. I would then assist Robert in using the sound recorder on the computer to record his blog posts. I would then listen to the recording and type it into a Word document. Robert would read the post and tell me if there was anything missing that he wanted to add and I would help him with sentence structure and punctuation. The process took a fairly significant amount of time, and we both wanted to see if we could make it easier.

To further increase Robert’s independence in writing his blog posts, he is now working on training the Dragon voice recognition program to recognize his voice so that he will be able to type up his own blog posts by simply speaking into the microphone using Dragon. To train Dragon, Robert reads sentences and the software adapts to recognize his vocal pattern. The Dragon program can have multiple users that only need to train Dragon to their particular vocal patterns to start using it. Robert works on speaking loud and clear while training the program, while others who use the program may need to work on slowing down their speech or enunciating their words. Training the program takes a little while for each person, but we hope to have Robert writing his own blog posts and more independently using the computer very soon!

Pictured below is Robert practicing using Dragon.

Chris Celebrates Shark Week!

On Friday, Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Chris went to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver with Site Supervisor Shannon Bundy. Chris sent us an audio email to let us know how it went: “This is Chris calling to tell you that I went to the aquarium with Shannon and I saw sharks and I had fun.”

Guess Who's Touring The SmartHomes?

Scheduled to tour the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont today: Shirl Garcia, Gil Garcia, and
Terra Garcia.

Are you interested in taking a tour? Click here. 

Rae Heads To Vegas

Rae, a resident at Imagine!'s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome (on the right) who works at King Soopers, just left with Max (a Counselor at the home) on her vacation to Las Vegas. Max sent this picture of them on the plane. They plan to relax at a very nice pool at their hotel, and they also plan to do some dancing and to see a show in Las Vegas.

Lana and Rae Enjoy FAC

The residents of Imagine!’s SmartHomes enjoyed a fun night out on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder’s “Notorious FAC.” There was art, music, food, and good times! For the past few days we’ve been sharing some pictures of different residents at the event. Today, enjoy a few pictures of Lana and Rae enjoying the evening.

Technology Tuesday

Participants in an Imagine! CORE/Labor Source (CLS) KGNU Radio Class has been using technology to create beautiful music.

For example, listen to the recording of “Moon River” below.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

The musicians for this song are all CLS participants: guitar sounds by Frank, organ sounds by Mandy, and drum sounds by Frank and Scott. For this song, instrumental sounds were recorded as individual samples which were manipulated by a MIDI file to form music tracks. The instrumental take on "Moon River" was Frank's vision as a tribute to his mother. Using an adaptively tuned guitar, Frank recorded samples to be used for bass and lead/rhythm guitar. Mandy recorded the buzzer on her wheelchair as raw audio to be synthesized into an organ sample, and Scott played some great one-shot drum samples. The arrangement is by Kelly Faus, Day Program Instructor for CLS.

This is the fourth song the class has recorded. They plan to put the songs together into an album.

Previous songs include:

A cover of Derek and the Dominos’ "Layla"

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” 

Can’t see the video? Click here.

"Mandy's Song," written by Imagine! SmartHome resident Mandy

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Stacey, Loren, and Toby Enjoy FAC

The residents of Imagine!’s SmartHomes enjoyed a fun night out on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder’s “Notorious FAC.” There was art, music, food, and good times! For the next few days we’ll be sharing some pictures of different residents at the event. Today, enjoy a few pictures of Stacey, Toby, and Loren enjoying the evening.

Gerald Enjoys FAC

The residents of Imagine!’s SmartHomes enjoyed a fun night out last Friday at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder’s “Notorious FAC.” There was art, music, food, and good times! For the next few days we’ll be sharing some pictures of different residents at the event. Today, enjoy a few pictures of Gerald having fun and dancing with friends!

John Enjoys FAC

The residents of Imagine!’s SmartHomes enjoyed a fun night out last Friday at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder’s “Notorious FAC.” There was art, music, food, and good times! For the next few days we’ll be sharing some pictures of different residents at the event. Today, enjoy a few pictures of John having fun and showing off his artwork, and dancing with friends!

Rebecca Enjoys Millennium FAC

The residents of Imagine!’s SmartHomes enjoyed a fun night out last Friday at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder’s “Notorious FAC.” There was art, music, food, and good times! For the next few days we’ll be sharing some pictures of different residents at the event. Today, enjoy a few pictures of Rebecca having fun and showing off her impressive artistic talent.

Technology Tuesday

Today’s Technology Tuesday post comes from Erika Schroeder, Communications Teacher at Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department. 

Tech Lab Touch Screen Offers Options for CLS Participants 

Many of the individuals we serve here at CORE/Labor Source (CLS) with needs for support in communication already have access to a personal communication device. This device travels to and from CLS; at home for conversation with family and friends; then back to CLS for participation in class and work shifts. Some of the classes provided here are for device acquisition skills. One of the problems we have encountered with a traveling device is it sometimes won’t make it to one location or the other. Or, occasionally it’ll make it and will not be charged, or is experiencing technical difficulties. When this happens, we have to think outside the “dyna” box and see what resources are available on site.

One of the resources used in the computer lab is the touch screen computer monitor. In the lab we have three working touch screens. In the absence of an individual’s personal communication device (or in addition to it), this can serve as a great opportunity to practice fine motor skills by using a pointed finger to make choices and practice transferrable skills such as object identification. For example, on one client’s personal communication device, there are pictures of her favorite movie characters to flip through. On her device she has a one direction arrow button to go to the next page. She has been doing that independently and successfully for a while now. When using the touch screen monitor in the computer lab instead of her own device, we have access to the internet which means there is a wider selection of images to look through. In addition, the arrows provided by the internet go in both directions which create more choices, as well as allowing her to practice a different range of motion.

The touch screen monitor has been invaluable when working with clients. In our lab we use HP CompaqL2105tm, a 21 inch wide screen monitor, which works with single or multi-touch selection. This resource has made it possible for continued practice and education when developing communication, technology, and fine motor skills with the individuals here.

Mandy Attends The Theater

This post came to us last night in a phone call from Mandy, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

“Hi, This is Mandy and I just wanted to let you know that I went to see “Shrek” at the Boulder Dinner Theater today and I had a lot of fun. It was a musical and I really enjoyed myself. I got to have tamales for lunch and I really had a great time. If you’d like to put that on the blog on the computer, today is August 3rd, and it’s the Boulder Dinner here in Boulder. Thank you.” 

Pictured is Mandy at a Boulder Dinner Theatre performance last summer.

Happy Birthday, Anthony!

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

Happy Anniversary, Alex!

Happy 15th anniversary at Imagine! to Alex Andrews, who works in the Information Technology (IT) department. Alex has been leading the way in our “SmartSupports” efforts – moving technology out of the SmartHomes so the many individuals we serve at Imagine! may benefit from technology that increases their self reliance and well being. Congrats on this milestone Alex, and thanks for all that you do for the people we serve!