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SmartHome Residents Present on Social Media Use at Colorado Assistive Technology Coalition

Imagine! SmartHome residents Gerald and Donna are members of the Colorado Assistive Technology Coalition - An Advisory Council to the Assistive Technology Program of Colorado. At a meeting held on March 27, 2012, the two shared the spotlight to provide the meeting's "Mission Moment." The two discussed their experiences using Social Media and how meaningful it is to them. The volume is a little low on this, so turn it up -- it is well worth hearing!

Simple Adaptations Help Donna At Work

SmartHome resident Donna works at Boulder-based InClover, placing bin lot number stickers on the bottom of Grin Treats bags. The bag has a fold at the bottom, which is fairly easy to open if the consumer has use of both hands, which is not the case with Donna. Her right hand works well; the left is not so cooperative! So to make it possible for Donna to do this job independently it was necessary to create a couple of different ways to hold the bag in place so she could apply the sticker. Richard Lowe, who works for Imagine!’s Labor Source department, had a creative solution to this challenge. Check out the photo captions to see what he did!

The first step was taking two paperclips and bending them slightly at an upward angle, and taping them to the table so that Donna can slide the bag onto them; the paperclips anchoring the bottom fold.

The second step was taking two boxes of gloves and taping them together so that they hinge.  Donna can reach up and flip the top box over onto the Grin Treats bag, which holds it down securely. 

From here she is able to place a sticker on a right hand finger, and with another finger open the fold, then place the sticker. 

She then flips the box back up, and repeats the process.

Guess Who's Touring The SmartHomes?

Next Monday, April 2, we have a lot of folks touring the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, including representatives from Jefferson County Human Services, ten Americorps volunteers currently working at Denver’s Marycrest Assisted Living, and new Imagine! Foundation Board member Chuck Sisk (along with current Imagine! Foundation Board President Sandy Bracken).

Wow, that’s a lot of people interested in seeing first hand how technology is changing the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

You can take a tour, too! Just click here to sign up online! 

.Longmont SmartHome Cooking Class

These photos were taken at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. It seems more functional that the residents learn how to participate in food preparation in their own house than in a classroom. The class was making a vegan pizza, with a sauce made with puréed white beans and garlic, and toppings of spinach, onions, apples, and potatoes. No kidding.

Using his Dynavox, Wes quickly greeted the photographer with: “Hello,” “How are you?,” and “It’s good to see you.”

Sarah adds measured spices to the pizza sauce.

Wes adds measured spices to the pizza sauce.

Sarah cutting an onion with Dani’s assistance.

Sarah cutting an apple with Dani’s assistance.

Loren pours a cup of measured onions into the bowl.

Loren puts spinach on the pizza.

Sarah adds spinach to the pizza.

Wes needs some hand over hand assistance from cooking class Instructor Dani, but his smile and enthusiasm make it plain that he enjoys participating in the preparation of the meal. Here he adds spinach to the pizza.

Cleaning up is an important part of cooking. Here Sarah wipes off the table.

Cleaning up is an important part of cooking. Here Loren wipes off the table.

The pizza is almost ready to come out of the oven.  Afterwards, the class gets to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. 

Sarah and Shelly Go Skiing

Here’s another great picture of Charles Family SmartHome residents Sarah and Shelly during their recent skiing outing at Winter Park. 

See more photos here.

Fred Hobbs Presents At ARRM Tech Conference

Pictured is Imagine! PR guy Fred Hobbs presenting at a panel at the ARRM Technology Conference in Minnesota. Fred shared stories about how SmartHome residents are using social media to connect with their communities. Fred also hosted a roundtable discussion and presented at two breakout sessions. Well done, Fred – now get some rest!