Happy Thanksgiving!

John, Chris, and the rest of Imagine!'s SmartHomes residents and staff members wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Thanks Wibby Brewing For Taking A Tour

Last Friday, Ted Risk, Ryan Wibby, and Martha Bartels took a tour of Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. The trio is from Wibby Brewing, one of Longmont’s newest microbreweries. We greatly appreciate their interest in our SmartHomes and their community. Here’s a picture from the tour, taken by SmartHomes Ambassador Extraordinaire Leona Stoecker.

Technology Teusday

This week’s Technology Tuesday comes to you from Suzanne Phillips, a Communication Teacher at Imagine!’s Longmont CORE/Labor Source hub. It is a touching story about finding just the right incentive to get an individual engaged and interested in taking the first steps toward independence and the first step towards learning. In this case, the incentive was a song by the Carpenters, appropriately titled “We’ve Only Just Begun.”

We’ve had an exciting new breakthrough in Longmont’s CORE/Labor Source “Cause and Effect” class! This class, as I’ve written about before, teaches cause-and-effect/computer skills to non-verbal adults with limited mobility. Three out of four of my students have been moving forward at a rapid pace. They have been learning to turn on lights, using the new iPads, and pressing switches to play games and turn on movie clips. However, I have one student that had not been interested in any of our computer games or sensory items. I was starting to worry that “Sam” (not his real name) would not get much from of my class, something that no teacher wants to accept!

Then we had our breakthrough. Sam’s provider told me that, while watching a movie, Sam had suddenly started dancing while a Carpenters song played. I got to work immediately, setting up a new activity for him to use during Cause and Effect class. I attached speakers to an iPad, then attached the iPad and a switch to a PowerLink. The iPad was set up to play a Carpenters Pandora station. I sat down to teach Sam how to turn on his own music, wondering if this would engage him when nothing else had.

I explained to him what I was working on, but he did not make eye contact or seem interested in the new setup. I then demonstrated how to press the switch to turn on his music. “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters began to play, and Sam froze. He turned slowly towards me, listening intently, then lifted one hand and started moving it slowly through the air. I couldn’t believe what happened next - this quiet and reserved guy started laughing, clapping and dancing by moving his shoulders, arms and hands. He loved it!

I stopped pressing the switch and the music turned off, he froze again and looked at me. I started the process of teaching him how to turn the music on by pressing the switch. I realized that direct access (he has to be holding down the switch to hear the music) didn’t work as well because he needed his hands for dancing! I set up the PowerLink to play 30-40 second clips of a song, long enough for him to enjoy his music and with a sudden enough stop to get him interested in pressing the switch to turn his music back on.

The first week I taught Sam the basic concepts, and by the second week he pressed the switch independently almost 20 times. I wish I could describe to you the difference I have seen in this guy. When I see him now he grins and claps his hands, he is progressing in class and I know that we have a foundation that we can build on. It is very exciting and I can’t wait to see what skills he will master next.

Thank you for reading this week’s Tech Tuesday, I will be back with more updates soon!

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Thanksgiving Art Sale A Success

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Rebecca, along with former residents Gerald, Donna, and other Imagine! CORE/Labor Source artists, held an art show and sale in conjunction with Imagine!’s employee Thanksgiving potluck on Friday. By all accounts, sales (and spirits) were high. Great work, everyone!

Support Imagine!'s SmartHomes On CO Gives Day!

The Fifth Annual Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, Dec. 9 -- a great day to "give where you live." Each nonprofit receiving a donation on this day receives a portion of an Incentive Fund. This year, the Incentive Fund has more than tripled to $1 Million! This means that Imagine! will receive a portion of this fund for every donation we receive, and will increase the impact of your generosity. Your gift will have a far-reaching impact on the clients we serve, and their families.

Avoid the virtual rush by scheduling your donation now. Your credit card will be charged on Colorado Gives Day (Dec. 9), and you'll ensure that Imagine! receives a share of the $1 Million Incentive Fund.

On Colorado Gives Day, please consider supporting Imagine!’s SmartHomes project by clicking here and writing “SmartHomes” in the comments..

Thank you in advance!

Guess Who's Touring The SmartHomes?

Scheduled to tour Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont tomorrow: Ted Risk, Ryan Wibby, and Martha Bartels. The trio are from Wibby Brewing, one of Longmont’s newest microbreweries. We greatly appreciate their interest in our SmartHomes and their community. 

Technology Tuesday

Imagine!’s own Stephanie Tilley was recently the subject of an article in Apostrophe Magazine.

Apostrophe is a national publication promoting inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their stories and photos show people achieving independence, contributing to their communities, and enjoying life.

In the article, Stephanie explains why using technology is so important to those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and gives examples of how she incorporates technology in the classes she teaches at Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department.

Check out the story here.

Way to go, Stephanie!

Let Them Eat Cake!

Residents of Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome and Santa Fe Group Home were surprised on Sunday with the gift of a homemade delicious cake to take home! This cake was extravagantly decorated and was presented to Stacey, Gerald, and Donna as a thanks for being a valued part of the New Horizons Christian Church community. A big thank you to Jamie Sierra (previous Imagine! employee) for baking this special treat!

Guess Who's Touring The SmartHomes?

Scheduled to tour Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont today: Marianna Onufryk, who is visiting from Ukraine. Marianna has a PhD in Economics and she is visiting Longmont as a guest of Longmont Rotary Club as part of the Library of Congress’ “Open World” program. We are excited to have the opportunity to demonstrate to her the future of care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A Baking Extravaganza

It's a baking extravaganza at the Longmont Charles Family SmartHome! Stacey and her cooking assistants spent a few hours making cupcakes from scratch and learning measuring skills in our accessible kitchen. Stacey's home is equipped with countertops that raise and lower, allowing her to use tools like a mixer and an easily accessible oven to bake up the finished product.

Bon appétit!

SmartHomes Update

Imagine!’s Communications Coordinator Sterling Wind recently prepared a brief update on Imagine!’s SmartHomes project for the Board of Directors of the Imagine! Foundation, focusing on the work we do to continue to promote the project and share what we know with others in the field of serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We thought it would be worth sharing Sterling’s report with you as well.

Here are a few project highlights since my last report:

• Interest surrounding the Imagine! SmartHomes project continues to be strong, as members of the Imagine! SmartSupports team continues to be invited to speak at conferences, meetings and to consult with providers from around the United States. Since my last update, our team has provided tours to twenty five professionals associated with our national trade association ANCOR who were in town to attend the 14th Annual Coleman Institute on Cognitive Disabilities Conference on October 9 and the ANCOR Technology Summit and Showcase on October 10. Imagine! benefits from the curiosity, input, and questions from visiting skilled professionals from outside our organization. In addition to our out-of-town guests, the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome was also toured in mid-October by representatives from Imagine!’s Board of Directors, Alliance (Colorado State Association for Community Centered Boards and Provider Organizations), and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance (HCPF).  
• You can learn about presentations associated with the Imagine!’s SmartHomes SmartSupports projects by visiting - http://imaginessmarthomesblog.blogspot.com/ and entering either presentable and/or presentations into the search bar, found in the upper left-hand corner of the SmartHomes Blog.

Technology Tuesday

People with cognitive disabilities have an equal right to technology and information access. A coalition of disability organizations and individuals asserted this right in a formal declaration, The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access, announced at the Thirteenth Annual Coleman Institute National Conference on Cognitive Disability and Technology, held in 2013.

At the 14th Annual Coleman Institute National Conference on Cognitive Disability and Technology, held just this past October, the video below debuted. You are encouraged to watch it and be reminded as to why Imagine! continues to diligently work to increase technology use among the population we serve. You might also recognize some of the people in the footage showing how technology is already being utilized by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – they are residents of Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

If you haven’t already, please endorse the declaration by following this link, and to affirm your commitment to the equal rights of people with cognitive disabilities to technology and information access.

Imagine! Is Hiring An Assistive Technology Instructor

Would you like to be part of Imagine!’s team using technology to increase self-reliance among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities? Imagine! is currently hiring an Assistive Technology Instructor.

Information about the job (and other Imagine! positions) here. 

Checking In With Gerald

Here’s an update on Gerald, who used to live in Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. Last night, Imagine! hosted an Open House for its brand new Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield. The Santa Fe Group Home serves as a home base to meet the multiple needs of six individuals with developmental disabilities who are seniors or experiencing the early onset of aging-related conditions that often accompany these disabilities. This specialized care allows the individuals to live in a neighborhood setting while avoiding the more costly nursing home alternative. The highlight of the evening was a brief presentation by Gerald, who recently moved into the home. Gerald used his DynaVox, a computerized communication device, to share a little about himself and his life.

A Trip To The Ranch

Last week, several folks from Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome took a day trip out to visit the Acres of Opportunity Ranch (AOR) to visit the farm, brush, feed, and of course pet some of the farms animals.

John, pictured above, said that his favorite part of the trip was, "getting close to the horses and getting to pet them and feed them. It was exciting!!! I liked seeing the pig on the farm, too."

AOR is an Equine Learning Center that offers several unique programs to the communities in Northern Colorado. Working in partnership with the horse, each participant is given a chance to create a relationship of understanding and respect in order to achieve their ultimate goals.

The AOR provides a variety of programs, which are educational, recreational, and therapeutic. Offering both private and group sessions for all ages, as well as volunteer opportunities, AOR is able to serve the community with a wonderful horse experience. Although participants that come to Acres of Opportunity Ranch enjoy riding our beloved horses, the programs are not only riding focused. AOR recognizes the importance of education and life skills. Entrusting one of the most brilliant teachers of all, the horse, AOR provides a safe container for participants of all ages to learn.

Technology Tuesday

We have told you many times before about Imagine!’s collaboration with the University of Colorado Engineering School, where students create a variety of assistive technology projects for individuals served by Imagine!. (Don’t recall? Check out here, here, here, here, and here for just a few examples of projects).

Well, students this semester are at it again, and one group has taken their project to the next level. They have entered their project into an Elevations Credit Union contest, wherein Elevations is giving away up to $1,500 to help fund local projects that support the Boulder community. As they put it, Elevations wants to support “CU Buffs that are doing something awesome for their community.”

The winners of the funding are determined in part by an online vote on Facebook, and you can help. Click here and vote for “Electronic Color Organ Box.” You can vote once daily, and the contest runs through Friday, so don’t be shy – feel free to vote every day. Here is how the students are describing their project and how they would use the funds:

Our awesome project is an electronic color organ box. A phone or music player is plugged into it, and six different boxes will light up based on the bass, mid, and treble sounds from the music. There will be two columns of boxes, the bottom two are the biggest and will light up the same color with the base. The middle two will light up a different color together with the mid frequencies. And the top two boxes will light up a third color with the high frequencies. There will be three different color schemes that the user can choose for the boxes to be through a remote. The remote will also be able to control the volume of the music and intensity of the light. This electronic color organ box will be put in Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, CO, which is a home for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We will use the money for electronic boards such as an arduino and spectrum shield. A spectrum shield breaks up the frequencies of the music. Also, we will buy nice acrylic to make the boxes and so the light will have a nice glow through it. We will buy LEDs for the colored light, an AC/DC cord, and miscellaneous things such as wires and screws. The money will definitely be put to good use! 

Thanks for helping out, and thanks especially to the CU students for adding their project to this contest!

Don’t forget to vote! 

Check Out The Latest SmartHomes Newsletter

Imagine!’s latest SmartHomes newsletter is available online.

Check it out here.