Technology Tuesday

Throughout Imagine!’s history of exploring how technology can be used to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), we’ve made every effort to reach out to others in the field so we can share information, learn what others are doing, and take advantage of the strengths that can arise through collaboration.

Below are a few recent examples of those efforts.

 

On Friday, July 8, representatives from Imagine!, North Carolina-based Simply Home, Wisconsin-based Innovative Services, and South Carolina-based Charles Lea Center met to discuss what a 21st organization serving people with disabilities should look like, and what steps are necessary to get there, and what role technology will play in the continuing evolution of services. The group also took a tour of Imagine!'s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

On Monday, July 11, Imagine!’s Director of Business Operations and SmartHome guru Greg Wellems met with Serena Lowe and Zoe Gross from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Community Living (ACL). The two ACL reps are working on developing a technical resource for states and providers that provides examples, strategies, and effective practices for providing integrated day services to support individuals to engage fully in their communities. As part of this effort, they are interviewing disability service providers to learn more about best practices in integrated day services provision in the community, as well as state and federal policies or funding structures that may make it easier or more difficult for providers to reach these best practices.

And later this year, Greg will again team up with folks from Simply Home to present at the 2016 ANCOR Technology Summit and Showcase. Here’s a brief description of the presentations:

Empowering Independence: How Imagine! Creates New Outcomes Through SimplyHome 

 Technology 

Technological solutions are critical to the success of virtually every enterprise. When we look at the challenges facing the future of supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, there is an increasing understanding that technology will be a fundamental component toward supporting a person centered life in the community. Working together, SimplyHome and Imagine! are blending technology with natural support systems to support successful outcomes. 

The session will overview SimplyHome’s support solutions and Imagine!’s processes for incorporating the technology as a core service to better support individuals in the community. This will include sharing the process of referring, assessing and incorporating the identified technology into the individual planning and support process. 

As you can see, Imagine! is continuing its tradition of acting as “technology evangelists” to increase the use of technology in the I/DD field. We’ll keep you posted on further developments.