Technology Tuesday

Congratulations to Imagine!’s own Brodie Schulze, who presented last week at the 2017 Coleman Institute Conference on Cognitive Disability & Technology.

Brodie’s presentation was titled: “Collaborative Care: How a Partnership Between the University of Colorado and Imagine! has Created New Opportunities for Independence for People with Disabilities.”

Imagine! and CU have collaborated to design adaptive technologies to aid increased independence for individuals served by Imagine!. Students work with Imagine! to design assistive technologies that open doors to client’s increased self-reliance. The potential exists for projects to scale and be made available to more individuals in living more independent lives.

For the presentation, Brodie partnered with CU Professor Dr. Melinda Piket-May and a couple of CU students who have participated in the projects, and the group shared their experiences, what they’ve learned during the collaboration, highlighted some specific projects, and discussed what the future might hold.

To learn more about this collaboration, check out the video below, which highlights some of the projects that have resulted from this amazing partnership.

  
Can’t see the video? Click here.

Good News Friday!

Imagine! Out & About participants will have their own exhibit tonight at Alive Studios, 4593 Broadway, from 6-8:30 PM, as part of the North Boulder Art District First Friday Art Walk.

You are encouraged to stop by and say “hi.”

Technology Tuesday

On November 1st, The Coleman Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Microsoft, will be hosting a day long technology event. At the event, people with cognitive disabilities and Microsoft product developers will test out new products and engage in rich discussions around accessibility of products and services. They are looking for a limited number of technology users with diagnosed cognitive disabilities (Alzheimier’s, stroke, dementia, intellectual and developmental disabilities, severe and persistent mental health concerns and traumatic brain injury) to participate.

They are still looking for participants, so if interested, email Shea Tanis at Shea.Tanis@cu.edu or call 303-860-6141.

Good News Friday!

Late last month, I wrote on this blog about how Imagine! was going to be participating in Way To Go Tober, a fun way to encourage Imagine! employees to try new, smarter ways to commute.

The results to date have far exceeded my expectations (which were high to begin with).

As of Thursday, October 25, 138 Imagine! employees have:

Logged 1,235 smart commute trips totaling 12,836 miles.

Burned 53,217 calories.

Reduced 3.7 tons of CO2.

And saved $4,345.

These impressive stats didn't just catch my eye. Last week, a TV crew from CBS News Channel 4 in Denver came up to Lafayette to find out the secret to our success.

You can check out the story by clicking here.

We’ve had a lot of fun with this competition, and some Imagine! employees even helped encourage their coworkers’ participation by agreeing to appear in some (admittedly goofy) videos.

Can’t see video? Click here.

Can’t see video? Click here.

Can’t see video? Click here.

Although the month isn’t quite over, it is obvious that Imagine! employees have fully embraced this opportunity to give back to the community where we work. I am proud of them, and glad to have been part of this effort to save money, reduce stress, and help clear the air.

Technology Tuesday

I’d like to use today’s Tech Tuesday post to thank Albertsons Companies Foundation for their recent donation to help purchase iPads for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source (CLS) department.

In just a few short years, iPads have moved from merely fun items for CLS to have to absolute necessities. The amount of life-long learning that can and does take place using the iPads at CLS is astounding, and we are so grateful to Albertson’s for the gift.

Pictured below, students at Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source hub in Longmont take advantage of an iPad class to practice their art skills and play task oriented games.

Good News Friday!

The following story originally appeared on our Imagine! Voices blog. I found it so inspiring I'd thought I'd share it here. - Mark

“We were half way through the course when we realized that we were on the wrong course. We decided there was no point in turning around and continued on.”

Becky Toliver, who accepts services from Imagine!, trained for the one mile course at the 25^th annual Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Denver. She partnered with Kelli, a friend from church and former Jazzercise instructor, to prepare for the mile long walk.

“At first we were like ‘oh wow,’ because we didn’t realize where we were.” Becky walked with Kelli and her husband, Roy, during this big event. “It sure felt like more than a mile, but we looked forever and saw all these people still walking,” said Roy. “We asked someone and they told us we were on the 5k route.”

“Once we realized where we were, we said to ourselves ‘let’s do it, let’s finish the 5k,’” said Becky. “It wasn’t funny at the time, but once we finished, it was a great accomplishment.”

Becky works for Real Capital Solutions in Louisville, CO, and walked in their name. “I had so much support from family, friends, and co-workers.” Near the end of the walk, Kelli walked ahead of Becky and Roy to let the cheerleaders and Becky’s friends know that she was on her way. Everyone, including the president of Real Capital Solutions, cheered “Becky! Becky!” or "Turbo Toliver" as she crossed the finish line and walked 2.2 miles more than she trained for.

Becky felt this was an important walk so that she could honor the loved ones in her life who have battled or are battling cancer. The race was longer than she expected and still turned out to be a great day! She and Kelli continue to meet on the weekends to walk and stay fit. 

Becky (right) walks with her friend and trainer
at Race For The Cure in Denver. 

Becky and her husband, Roy.

                 

Out & About 20 Stories Update – 10/19/17

Imagine!’s Out & About department is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year! 

To honor this milestone, we are collecting and sharing stories and memories from our employees, from the families and individuals we serve, and from the many businesses that support our work. In fact, we’re collecting and sharing 20 stories from each of those three categories!

Here’s a nice recollection from Out & About participant Brittany, who shares how the activities she takes part in have taught her new ways to be healthy and active.

I’ll be sharing other stories and memories on this blog throughout the year.  

You can also click here to see all the stories we have so far.