Technology Tuesday

Anthony and Shelly, who live at Imagine!'s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, are set up with their own iPads, accounts, and tools needed to navigate their devices using simple switch technology.

Shelly has had very promising results with this year-old technology. Her head switch uses Bluetooth and connects to any device compatible with Bluetooth. She uses subtle head movements on the head switch to select buttons and icons on the device. The progress will improve as she fine tunes this feature with custom settings on her iPad. Because her head switch is Bluetooth compatible, she can use this at home, day program, and work.

Anthony is learning how to use the cloud and access his calendar and email on any device. This feature helps him stay up to date with doctor appointments and his supported employment schedule. All of his devices are equipped with “support navigation,” which allows for a specific app to be locked to prevent unintentional jumping between apps. He also uses the read feature, which allows him to hear audibly the text on any page.

Guess Who's Touring The SmartHomes?

Touring Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont Monday: good friends from RE/MAX of Boulder.

Technology Tuesday

Today’s Technology Tuesday features a guest blogger! We thank our good friends at Cerebral Palsy Guidance for sharing the information below. 

 

Adaptive Technology Helps Kids with Cerebral Palsy Get Active 

Adaptive sports are so important for children with physical disabilities. Too often children with cerebral palsy and other conditions are limited, not included, and aren’t given the opportunities to get active and enjoy sports like other kids do. This is changing, though, and it’s changing for the better. While there was once a time when people assumed a child with disabilities couldn’t participate, more individuals, schools, communities, and non-profit groups are ensuring that these children can participate, and adaptive technology plays a big role.

Cerebral Palsy and Limitations
Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition. It impacts muscles and motor skills, and although symptoms and severity vary by individual, most children with cerebral palsy have at least some physical limitations. Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, a child may struggle to control muscle movements, may have jerky or floppy movements, may have a hard time with balance and coordination, or may even be unable to walk.

Treatments for cerebral palsy can improve mobility. Surgeries, for example, can readjust tight muscles or joints to make moving easier and less painful. Physical and other therapies can help a child stretch and build muscles, learn how to move in ways that are less painful, and generally be more mobile. Sometimes medications help too. A big part of treatment for mobility issues in cerebral palsy is adaptive technology.

What is Adaptive Technology?
For everyday needs, adaptive technology may be as simple as a walker or a standard wheelchair. Where adaptive technology gets more fun and exciting is when it gets kids with cerebral palsy involved in sports. There are many more devices available now than ever before that allow kids with limitations to participate. Athletic wheelchairs, for instance, have come a long way and can help a child get involved in sports like basketball, racing, and even ice hockey.

Adaptive equipment for sports is used for both kids and adults with a variety of disabilities. The technology has advanced greatly in recent years. There are even adaptive devices that can help a person with a disability surf, skateboard, race in moto-cross, compete in cross-fit, and even play golf. Boundaries are being torn down thanks to new technologies in adaptive sports.

Adaptive Sports Organizations Pave the Way
The technology is just one piece of the puzzle in getting children with disabilities involved in sports. There also has to be opportunity and availability. This is where dedicated organizations step in and use the technology to make sure kids have the chance to participate. Groups like the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Disabled Sports USA, the Special Olympics, and the Paralympics are leading the charge.

These groups provide opportunities and events and advocate for children and teens with physical and other disabilities, like cerebral palsy. Some of the groups mainly organize events around the country, while others actively participate in schools and communities creating models and funding programs to help children get involved at the local level.

Having a physical disability, having limitations or a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, is no longer a sentence that means sitting out when other kids get involved. Thanks to advocacy and technology, more children than ever are using adaptive equipment to participate in sports and to enjoy what all children enjoy: being active and social.

Congratulations, Victoria!

Every month, Imagine!’s Innovations department presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing 
• Effective and Efficient 
• Respect and Dignity 
• Opportunities 
• Integrity 
• Care 

This month, the award was presented to Victoria Laverty, who is the Site Supervisor for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

Victoria was nominated by the site Nurse Case Manager, who wrote:

I would like to nominate Victoria Laverty for the Super Hero of the Month Award. The Bob and Judy Charles Smart Home has been short-staffed recently, and Victoria has done an amazing job in making sure the house runs as smooth as possible. Victoria has been working the floor as well as being present at the house for long hours, and has maintained a smile throughout. Besides being the Site Supervisor and keeping the house running, she also solves everyday problems of the house and the individuals that live there. Problem solving and getting things done through logistics is an everyday task for Victoria and she does it with a chuckle and smile. Victoria has done an amazing job!

Victoria shows compassion to the individuals of the Bob and Judy Charles Smart Home. When you step into the house you know it is a home. Please give Victoria the recognition she deserves for going the distance to keep shifts covered and the Bob and Judy Charles Smart Home running.

If you see Victoria around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Technology Tuesday

Imagine! Releases New App & Could Win $10k With Your Help

Like many businesses, Imagine! is facing a shrinking workforce and low unemployment rates. This combination makes it hard to recruit and retain Imagine! employees to support the people we serve. To tap into potential new employee markets, such as college students and retirees, Imagine! has created an app, similar to Uber, to offer "on-demand" short employment shifts. This opportunity was made possible by an Imagine! Foundation donor. We are calling the app “Imaginect.”

Meanwhile, the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County is working with tech startups to provide early stage corporate philanthropy by pledging 1% of their resources to nonprofits (called Pledge 1% Colorado). Out of this, they created a Nonprofit Pledge 1% Pitch Contest as a part of Boulder Startup Week.

The Pitch Contest, through an interactive and fun event, seeks to recognize and support entrepreneurial and innovative nonprofit ideas to solve pressing problems and critical issues facing Boulder County. Their goal is to support organizations in developing and testing new solutions to community challenges and leveraging investment to achieve impact. We submitted an application on the “Imaginect” on-demand employment app and we were chosen as a finalist to pitch the idea and could win $10,000!

The Nonprofit Pitch Contest is tonight, Tuesday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. We will make a 3-minute pitch, and the audience and a panel of judges will vote on the winning pitch. Please plan to attend, cheer us on, and vote! You can register by clicking here (it is free).

Check out the video and flyer below for more information on Imaginect.

 

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Technology Tuesday

Chris DiRosa, who is the Site Supervisor at Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, has been selected to receive the Longmont Rotary Club’s 2017 Citizen Compassion Award for his outstanding efforts in the Longmont community.

Chris has been a huge part of Imagine!’s technology initiatives over the years. He hosts tours of the Charles Family SmartHome, he has presented on behalf of Imagine! at ANCOR’s Technology Summit and Showcase, and in general acts as one of Imagine!’s strongest “Tech Ambassadors.” So to honor his award, it seemed like a good use of a Technology Tuesday post to share a couple of videos Chris has made about tech use at Imagine!.

Here’s Chris talking about technology use at Imagine!’s Santa Fe Group Home.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

We’ve talked many times about how we collaborate with University of Colorado Engineering students to create adaptive equipment projects for individuals served by Imagine!. In this video, Chris shares some of the projects and discusses how they are used in The Charles Family SmartHome. 

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Technology Tuesday

This week’s Technology Tuesday is a regular one we get to share, and it is always one of our favorites.

Once again, students in a University of Colorado Engineering class taught by Professor Melinda Picket-May have collaborated with Imagine! to provide assistive technology for individuals we serve. We’ve been doing this for more than seven years. Each semester, students form small groups and select projects that have been identified by Imagine! staff members as something that will meet the needs of a specific individual served by Imagine!. The collaboration has truly been “win-win.” The students get real, hands-on experience on a unique and challenging engineering task, and people served by Imagine! get a piece of adaptive equipment designed specifically for their needs.

Below are some projects from Spring Semester 2017 students:

Wrist Stabilizer

This was designed for an individual served by Imagine! who struggles with tremors, making using devices that require fine motor skills a challenge. With the stabilizer, the individual will now be able to use an iPad with ease.

Bluetooth Switch

This was also a design for an individual who needs assistance with mastering fine motor skills. This Bluetooth switch was designed specifically for one individual served by Imagine!, and was created to react to the way her body moves naturally, so she could access an iPad.

Wago Opener

Wago products are designed for electronic interfaces. Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department provides staffing for GE Lighting, which uses these Wago products. The device created by the student allows one of the employees who has limited range of motion in his arms to effectively and efficiently open the Wagos at GE, making him a more productive employee.

Sensory Vest

This sensory vest was designed for two individuals served by Imagine! who are non-verbal so that they can be put in control of their own interactive environment. 

Reprogrammable Voice Remote

Individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities may find it challenging to control certain aspects of their environment – say, opening and closing window blinds or turning on and off a room humidifier. New products like the Amazon Echo or Alexa can open doors for verbal commands to operate those tasks. However, there is still a gap for individuals who are non-verbal as these devices may not be able to “understand” the commands. This project “teaches” the devices to understand non-verbal commands (like grunts) so even no-verbal individuals can take advantage of the amazing opportunities these devices bring.

And here’s a couple of bonus student projects, not for people served by Imagine! but still very cool:

Line Laser for People with Parkinson’s Disease 

3D Sunglasses for People with Dry Eyes