Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Catching Up With Donna

Here’s a fun picture of Donna, a former resident of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome who now lives in Imagine!’s Santa Fe Home, enjoying a game of Connect Four with her friend and housemate Jeanne.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Technology Tuesday

This week’s Technology Tuesday post is another edition of “AppAbility” - where Imagine!’s Technology Architect Alex Andrews provides short instructional videos and reviews of apps that may be beneficial for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or related conditions. Today's episode: a demonstration of Sign 4 Me.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Garage Sale Success

Last weekend’s garage sale at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome was a success! Chris was very excited to make over 100 dollars! He says he wants to buy a new iPod with the money. Karen made some awesome homemade lemonade for the event and Mandy made some cupcakes to sell. They all had a great time!


Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Technology Tuesday


On Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM, Imagine! will host a ceremony to mark the naming of the middle conference room in its John M. Taylor Conference Center as the Aaron Matthew Tuneberg Conference Room.

Aaron Matthew Tuneberg died at the age of 30 on April 8, 2014, as the result of a senseless and violent crime. Because of the developmental disability he was born with, his life was often difficult. Aaron was a sweet young man who, in spite of his disabilities, was trying to live his life well and in peace. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle and proud citizen of Boulder, Colorado.

Recognizing that others like Aaron faced similar risks, Aaron’s mother, Gale Boonstra, and Aaron’s family established Aaron’s Fund to support projects in Aaron’s community that would provide safety, independence, and camaraderie for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Thanks to the generosity of Aaron's Fund, Imagine! is creating a technology demonstration project to improve and support safety needs for adults with disabilities. The project will identify 5-10 individuals served by Imagine!, assess their support needs, identify the technologies that will best help meet those needs, purchase the technologies for the individuals, teach them how to use them for their needs, and provide ongoing support through the demonstration period.

The concept may be simple, but it will help fill a huge gap that currently exists in services for adults with I/DD who are mostly independent but need some assistance to remain self-reliant. Sadly, this is a population that is underserved and often ignored, as the tragic loss of Aaron showed. Available funding for their needs is miniscule, the workforce willing and able to meet those needs is shrinking, and yet the demand for these services continues to grow.

We’ll keep you posted on the project as it moves forward.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Make Your Voice Heard On Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices (AACD) Benefit Coverage

The Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing (HCPF) has revised the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices (AACD) Benefit Coverage Standard and has posted the revised draft to their website for your review. Click here to view proposed revisions.

Colorado Medicaid strongly encourages all interested individuals–especially people receiving services, providers, and families–to express their views on policy proposals through the public comment process. 

This is the first step in the Benefits Collaborative 3-Year-Review Process. Once the 30-day public notice period has ended, HCPF will convene interested stakeholders for a sit-down meeting to further discuss the revised draft. Please submit your initial feedback to Kimberley.Smith@state.co.us within the next 30 days. Your feedback will help the Department determine appropriate next steps regarding policy design ahead of the stakeholder meeting.

The 3-Year-Review AACD stakeholder meeting will be held:

Thursday, September 24, 2015 
10:30 a.m. – Noon 
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing 
303 E 17th Ave., Denver 
11th Floor Conference Rooms 11B and 11C

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Technology Tuesday

This week’s Technology Tuesday post is another edition of “AppAbility” - where Imagine!’s Technology Architect Alex Andrews provides short instructional videos and reviews of apps that may be beneficial for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or related conditions. Today's episode: a demonstration of Go Talk NOW.


Can’t see the video? Click here.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Technology Tuesday

On several “Technology Tuesday” posts over the past year and a half, we have shared the progress of participants in Imagine! CORE/Labor Source’s (CLS) KGNU Radio Classes taught by Kelly Faus (like here and here). Today, we’d like to share another success from some of the students: an original video created for an original composition entitled "Freedom of Movement," written and performed by a few of these talented CLS musicians – Bruce, Frank, Mandy, and Scott. Enjoy!

Can’t see the video? Click here.