Colorado Gives Day!

Colorado Gives Day is today, and we encourage you to participate! Donations made online at www.coloradogives.org/Imagine today will be eligible for partial matching funds. Donating through Colorado Gives eliminates all processing fees for Imagine! for donations totaling up to $50,000 per year. If you are thinking about making a gift to Imagine! before the end of the calendar year, please consider doing it online on Colorado Gives Day. You may also designate a particular Imagine! program, including Innovations, in the “Any comments or special instructions” box if you would like.  Thanks for your support!

More Construction Photos for our new Group Home in Broomfield

We are continuing to make progress on the new Group Home we are building in Broomfield!  This home is designed to meet the growing need for individuals to continue to receive community services as they age and their needs change.  Check out the photos below to see the progress on the home, which is slated to open in April/May of 2014.

Santa Fe Group Home Site Progress!

Below are the latest pictures of the progress we are making on our new Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield.  Due to the location of our property, we needed to build an asphalt road to our property to allow for construction and fire trucks to access the land.  Now that this phase is complete, we can move full steam ahead on going vertical with our building.  We will continue to update the blog with pictures as we go forward with our construction through the winter.

Our new driveway, looking out towards our property

Our new driveway, looking back towards the main street

The parking area and ramps for the home

Excavation for the foundation and basement

Waterline trench for the home

The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access

Technology benefits people with disabilities in numerous ways.  Advances in wheelchair technology such as power chairs and standing wheelchairs have given people with disabilities more mobility and a more normalized experience.  Communication devices such as DynaVoxes and various Apps have helped people with disabilities communicate in ways they never could before.  Technology such as remote monitoring and systems that allow individuals to track their task completion reduce the need for staff support, and allow individuals to live more independently.  Our SmartHomes are a testament to our passion about the power of technology to improve the lives of people with disabilities.  The two SmartHomes function as a living lab to develop and personalize new technologies that directly benefit the people living in these homes, and have the potential to benefit many other people in the future.

This week, the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities at the University of Colorado issued a declaration titled The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.  The purpose of this declaration is to publicly state that we believe that access to technology and information should be a right for all people with disabilities.  Please click here to read the declaration, and consider endorsing it yourself to show your support on this important issue!

Government Shutdown: Effects for People with Disabilities

Today marks the first time in the past 17 years that we have had a shutdown of the federal government.  I'm sure some of you are wondering what effects this will have for people with disabilities.  Many of the government programs and services that benefit people with disabilities will be affected in one form or another.

Click here to read a post that went up today on the news service Disability Scoop that highlights the specific programs that benefit people with disabilities that will be affected by the shutdown.

Fundraising for Flood Recovery

I know a lot of you have been seeing the images and video from the devastating flooding here in Colorado.  I also imagine that a lot of you have been wondering how you can help!

Well, here's your opportunity!  The flooding had a major impact on Imagine!, and we are seeking donations to help us recover!  Many of the homes we operate were significantly damaged during the flooding.  Please watch this video to learn more:

Please click on the link below to donate now to help our organization recover from this disaster.  PLEASE SHARE this information with your friends and family, and send it to anyone who is looking to make a donation to help us recover from this flood.  THANKS!!

www.coloradogives.org/ImagineFloodHelp

Aftermath of the Flooding

Last week Colorado suffered one of the most devastating floods in state history.  Some people lost their lives.  Some lost all of their possessions.  Hundreds of people were displaced from their homes.  Many are still evacuated and have yet to determine how severe the damage was.  Thousands of people experienced damage to their homes, requiring costly and challenging repair.

Many people in the Imagine! network of employees, providers, and clients were affected by this disaster.  Nine of our residential sites had significant flooding, causing significant property damage for some of the live-in staff that support these sites.

During these extraordinary times, our employees and providers provided extraordinary support for our clients-- working exceptionally long hours while replacement staff were unable to reach the site or dealing with crises of their own.  Last week was Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week, and our amazing staff and providers showed us through their courageous actions why they deserve the highest recognition we can offer!

In the coming days and weeks, we will be using this forum to share some of these stories to honor the unfathomable hard work, heroism, and dedication that these staff and providers offered to shepherd us through this difficult experience.

From all of us at Innovations, thank you to our staff and providers for everything you did and will do to help get us through this disaster!