Technology Tuesday

Periodically we like to use our Technology Tuesday posts to remind people about the Coleman Institute’s Declaration of The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.

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, announced at the Thirteenth Annual Coleman Institute National Conference on Cognitive Disability and Technology, held October 2, 2013, in Broomfield, Colorado.

The declaration remains as important today as it was four years ago, and we still have a way to go before the goals outlined in the document become a reality. We encourage our friends and supporters to read this declaration and to affirm their commitment to the equal rights of people with cognitive disabilities to technology and information access by endorsing it.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Want to learn more? Check out:

Implementation Tools page for tips on how-to successfully implement The Declaration. 

Frequently Asked Questions about The Declaration. 

Read the article published in Inclusion [pdf] to learn more about why and how this declaration came to be. The article was written by David Braddock, professor of psychiatry and director of the University of Colorado's Coleman Institute, with four co-authors associated with the Coleman Institute.

Technology Tuesday

This week's Tech Tuesday takes us to Imagine!’s Santa Fe Group Home, where we're getting ready to try out a new wireless nurse call system. Historically, wireless nurse call systems, while effective, can be a bit pricey. Enter to the stage the Amazon Web Services Internet of Things Button. It's a switch that works in your wireless network, and can be used for an extraordinary number of things, including, we hope, a very cost-effective wireless call system. We're still ironing out the finer points, but we will have this up and running for tests very soon, and we'll be eager to have more updates. Stay tuned!

Technology Tuesday

Today’s Technology Tuesday post highlights an article from the January 2017 Non-Profit Communications Report about how Imagine! CEO Mark Emery uses his blog to ensure a transparent organization with knowledgeable employees, donors and community supporters.

Check out the article here to learn more.

Technology Tuesday

In an Imagine! CORE/Labor Source computer class, students designed their own PowerPoint projects and presented them to the rest of class. Joey chose to research the TV show "Big Time Rush." Here he is presenting his PowerPoint project to the rest of class using the projector screen.

Volunteers Help To Spread The Word To End The Word

Today is Spread The Word To End The Word Day! 

Spread the Word to End the Word is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies and other supporters to inspire respect and acceptance through raising the consciousness of society about the R-word and how hurtful words and disrespect can be toward people with intellectual disabilities.

On Saturday, residents at the Charles Family SmartHome had an inspiring and productive day with a wonderful group of student volunteers from St. Thomas Aquinas Service Ministry in Boulder. These volunteers worked alongside residents and staff on a SmartHome advocacy project for Spread The Word To End The Word!

They also toured the SmartHome and learned about Imagine!'s mission of creating a world of opportunity for all abilities through independence, inclusion, and respect. The college students saw firsthand how SmartHome assistive technology is furthering that goal and expanding opportunities. Then the teams got to work, cleaning out the basement and organizing specialized equipment.

Thank you very much to this dynamic group of young community volunteers and SmartHome staff members Victoria, Shanda, and Jamie for all of their help!

Technology Tuesday

This week's Tech Tuesday takes us up the mountain to Eldora Ski Resort, where many folks served by Imagine! are able to take advantage of the slopes through the Ignite Adaptive Sports program. Members of the Ignite program are ever vigilant in determining new ways and means for people to maximize their experience on the slopes, and today we'd like to highlight one such mechanism.

Many individuals who take advantage of the Ignite program have something in common: limited, or lack of, sensation in their extremities, specifically fingers and toes. Keeping them warm has always been a priority, but it can be challenging if a person cannot feel or report that their fingers and toes have gotten too cold. John Humbrecht recently set out to solve this issue by developing an app called WarmEnough.

The premise is simple: a small flexible temperature probe is placed inside the boots of a skier, and it relays temperature data to the app (pictured above). If the temperature goes below a certain threshold, an alert chimes to notify you that it's time to get off the mountain and warm up. And that's all there is to it. Simple and effective, and as of this posting, the app is in its beta testing phase, and seems to be working as intended. This app (along with the accompanying temperature probe) is scheduled for release sometime in the summer of 2017 for the following ski season.

Stay tuned! And keep up the good work, Ignite!

Technology Tuesday

Toby and Shelly love Art Class at Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source! They each have their own unique style and choose color swatches on iPads to decide which paint to use.