Good News Friday!

Five years ago, Imagine! broke ground on its very first SmartHome, the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. This home became the first home in the nation to use technology in a comprehensive way to improve the efficiency and quality of services in the field of developmental disabilities. Not long after, we broke ground on a second SmartHome, the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Just to bring you up to date, during the five years since the first SmartHome opened, we have:

• Hosted 151 tours and open houses at our SmartHomes, involving more than 1,000 people from all over the United States and countries including Japan, the Netherlands, England, France, Belgium, and Russia.
• Given 46 presentations at conferences across the country.
• Implemented technologies to foster caregiver efficiency.
• Decreased Imagine!’s carbon footprint. (The SmartHomes’ solar photo-voltaic systems have reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 50 tons to date!)
• Enhanced the lives of the individuals living in the SmartHomes who are, because of technology, now able to communicate online with family and friends, hold jobs, blog, and cook a meal or get ready for their day independently

It has been an interesting five years. We have learned a great deal. And yes, we’ve made some mistakes and some things haven’t worked as well as we’d hoped. But that is what happens when you take the lead on something. There’s no roadmap to follow, so you need to blaze the trail yourself.

I am so proud of what we have done so far with our SmartHomes, but we have only just begun. We plan to continue to innovate, test, and share the beneficial impacts of technology in the lives of individuals with disabilities and their caregivers.

I hope you will join us as we move forward!