Q: Why did decide to start CreateAbility? What was the driving force behind it?

SS: I was working for Hewlett Packard, and really enjoyed it, but felt a growing need to do something more meaningful. I also had 15 years+ experience serving as a Special Olympics volunteer. One day I had a I would call a “divine experience” that resulted in the opportunity to combine my love for technology and my passion for helping those with disabilities. Thus, CreateAbility was born. (Side story:  My 10-year-old son played a large role in naming the company. As I was brainstorming names, he asked, “Dad, aren’t you trying to create ability? So…”

Q: What was the first solution you created and why?

SS: CreateAbility’s first product was QwikClick.

Many of us appreciate the word completion features in our devices, but in 2001, that didn’t exist. Now imagine not having the use of your fingers to type. QwikClick helped people with spastic Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Cord injuries, and other people who must rely on a combination of single or dual switches and the “scanning” capability in QwikClick to help them type an average of 32 times faster.

Since then, we’ve produced 9 technology solutions for people with intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injuries and are doing business in 30+ states!

Q: What do you attribute growth of company to?

SS:  
Our incredible team; each of which brings their own unique personalities and skillsets to each-and-every solution we offer.

Our amazing customers. Our customers are selfless givers who make a huge difference in the world we live in. It’s a sincere honor to serve people who serve people.

Q: What challenges have you overcome along the way?

SS: We’ve ridden the ebb and flow of sales cycles that coincide with varying economies, as do our clients and everyone else. But each time, we not only survived, we became stronger and more resilient.

Over the years I’ve learned to defer to the words that M. Scott Peck penned inThe Road Less Travelled:

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.

This passage always helps me put things in perspective as I apply the concept equally to failure. Once we accept that failure is part of the process, we no longer fear it and can use it to propel us to greater outcomes.

Q: What are the top three things you have learned in this industry?

SS:
Sometimes providers get nervous when technology is implemented. Some tend to think it’s there to do what they do for their clients. We’ve learned to cater our approach to let them know that technology simply enhances their ability to serve their clients; but technology will never replace them.

Be humble, stay humble.

Be flexible because the only constant in life is change! NEED ONE MORE AS I MOVED THE BOOK PHRASE TO OTHER SECTION.

What is one of your most favorite success stories?

SS: Through the years, I have had the opportunity to witness how technology can change the lives of the people we build it for.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting clients in their homes and seeing how our technology solutions helped them “come out of their shells” and give them more confidence around others. (Example: Brett, client with Autism Spectrum Disorder who was fascinated by all-things-trains.) I’ve visited employees on job sites and watched them use MeMinder to manage their tasks like a boss! And though it’s a sensitive subject, I have been grateful knowing that MyBrain technology has saved at least one person from self-harm and has minimized others’ exposure to COVID-19 by reducing the number of unnecessary ER visits within the IDD population.

Likewise, it’s so validating hearing stories of providers and job coaches that are able to handle their own responsibilities more efficiently with the use of technology.

What do you see in store for the company in the future?

More and more, people are searching for a remote, or virtual option in many aspects of their lives. Organizations are following suit. Additionally, the pandemic helped push the idea of “going remote” up the list of priorities. Now, and into the future, we will put more of our funding and support into solutions, features and enhancements that make it easer for providers to operate effectively on a remote basis.

____________________

Continue the celebration with a CreateAbility *BOGO promotion on Employment Pathfinder and MeMinder now until 03/31/22. Click here to learn more!

*Cannot be combined with any other solution discount.

The post CreateAbility Turns 20 in 2022: A Look Back at the Milestones appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Fast forward to today, where our nation’s businesses are facing staffing challenges that could serve as a catalyst in the inclusive employment movement. We all know that there is a wonderful, untapped source for employment in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that can fill these positions. But how do provider agencies adequately serve clients and optimize efforts in the inclusive employment movement while experiencing employee shortages of their own?

In times where providers are trying to do “more with less”, technology can help providers/job coaches:

• Streamline onboarding processes for new job coaches/staff.
• Minimize time spent in training employees by cutting out antiquated, manual processes.
• Monitor progress and setbacks of multiple employees on one dashboard. 
• Reduce time and money spent traveling from location-to-location to put out “fires”.
• Motivate employees to set and achieve goals.
• Automate fading techniques that help employees rely less on job coaches.
• Reduce the numbers of crises at the workplace.
• Create more satisfying and sustainable job opportunities for the clients they serve; reducing employee turnover.

It seems as if the pandemic has created a “perfect storm” of sorts in the industry we know and love – and technology is just the thing to keep us afloat!

If you need help keeping your head above the water – please reach out to us to learn more about assistive technology and its role in making strides in the inclusive employment movement – even when we are experiencing shortages, ourselves.

Until next time…

The post Working Smarter, Not Harder, in a Post-Pandemic Employment Landscape appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

So naturally, when reading the “Positive Behavior Support Training Curriculum” by Dennis Reid and Marsha Parsons, we were thinking of our current solutions, as well as the ones we are working on in the background, and how they fit into the framework of “positive behavior supports”.   

Their definition of positive behavioral supports is a multifaceted one that helps support people with disabilities: 

• Enjoy their lives as much as possible.  
• Live as independently as they can in the ways that they choose. 
• Create a life where they live, work, and play similarly to people without disabilities. 
• Overcome problem behaviors that prevent these goals.  

Below you will find a quick reference chart that lists these goals, what products support them, and explains HOW it benefits/supports each goal: 

MeMinder:  Affords people with IDDs who have the goal of gaining/keeping their independence a prompting system that delivers the alerts and instructions necessary to accomplish the days to-do’s. Having this guidance each day helps them overcome behaviors stemming from anxiety and frustration with their disability. When the level of independence they seek is accomplished – it increases life satisfaction and helps them live similarly to people without disabilities.   

Employment Suite:  This MeMinder-for-work app basically mirrors the benefits that MeMinder achieves applicable to the work environment.  
 
Evalu8NOW:  Evalu8NOW grants care providers and clinicians the ability to measure factors within the lives of the people they serve between office visits. How does this play into positive behavioral supports? Behavioral issues often have indicators that can be recognized before they occur. This system of avatar-led, standardized assessments can provide the data they need to help their clients ward off behavioral and emotional crises and take a proactive approach to their individual care plans.  In addition, Evalu8NOW offers out-of-the-box surveys that measure their satisfaction with life including their residence, care providers, employment, and more.  
 
avatalk:  This talking avatar communication platform allows non-intrusive check-ins with clients in a way they find fun and engaging.  It can be used to bridge gaps in remote monitoring and offers an additional layer of monitoring that allows them to gain/keep their independence. avatalk’s additional photo-showcasing feature allows loved ones/care providers the ability to send photos, messages, artwork and other forms of creative communication to their device; providing closer ties to their circle-of-care, combatting isolation – and increasing life satisfaction.  

OnTracker: This technology solution is all about overcoming challenging behaviors!  OnTracker teaches people with IDDs how to self-regulate their emotions by identifying personal triggers and boundaries and to refocus on thoughts and actions that are in alignment with their goals. Overcoming challenging behaviors helps individuals with IDDs improve their soft skills which, in turn, increases life enjoyment and [independence] allows them to live life as those without disabilities do.     

Flourish: Everyone establishes and works to achieve goals in life – people with IDDs are no different! This user-friendly app and corresponding dashboard help care providers set up succinct, measurable goals for the people they serve and creates a path to monitor their progress. In addition, it provides a platform to display what motivates/offsets them and their interests that they can carry like an ID to help their care providers work best with them. Achieving goals and improving relationships with their care providers = increased life satisfaction and living life more independently.   

For more information about any of CreateAbility’s assistive technology solutions, please email us at info@createabilityinc.com.  

The post The Role of Assistive Technology in Positive Behavioral Supports appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

After taking a few deep, cleansing breaths, we want you to know that we are right there with you. 

In response, to help you to continue to remotely and safely support to the people you serve in these times, we are switching each of our popular MeMinder, Employment Suite, OnTracker and Avatalk solutions to a $7.99 per person-served, per month model for the foreseeable future. Customers who can pre-pay annually will receive a 15% discount. 

Because of incredible people like you, we will make it through this together! 

Steve 

If you are interested in securing our special rates on remote supports that will help you manage in these times, please email us at info@createabilityinc.com.

See the report at: https://www.ancor.org/newsroom/news/congressional-research-service-warns-some-states%E2%80%99-budget-reductions-during-covid-19 

The post CreateAbility’s Response to Budget Reductions During COVID-19 appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

As we phase back into “normal” life; I’ve become painfully aware of the constant noise and slew of distractions that every day holds.  I’ve also developed an edginess of sorts, that I can only imagine resembles the experiences that a person with autism feels every single day. YIKES. I get it now.

In addition to the new level of empathy of people with autism, I also began thinking about the role assistive technology plays in helping them lead their lives and lessen the “noise”.

How Assistive Technology helps people with autism:

Communication

According to data from the Mayo Clinic, nearly half people with autism are non-verbal, which means they have limited ability to use language in a normal way. For these individuals, assistive technology may be the only way to them to communicate their most basic needs to care providers.

For those with autism that have verbal skills, lack of understanding social cues during conversation is a challenge that can lead to frustration, anger, and overwhelm. Avatar-led communications like Evalu8NOW and avatalk provide a non-threatening platform that they can customize and interact with to communicate their feelings and needs. In these instances, assistive technology is utilized as a tool to continue to communicate even after they have reached their “limit” of face-to-face interaction; a go-to when they are done “peopling” for a time.

Avoiding Overwhelm and Maintaining Focus

Children who are on the spectrum are often misdiagnosed with ADHD as lack of attention are symptoms of both. As they grow older, it is also found that in many instances they are able to focus on something like a special interest –  even to the point of hyper-focus.

Assistive technology is an ideal “happy medium” that allows them to put on the headphones/cancel out the noise in life and focus on something without distraction. A good app that keeps them engaged while continuing to teach them the skills they need to live more independently is a win-win.

When life gets noisy – it gets overwhelming and no one learns and retains well when feeling overwhelmed.  Keeping their daily tasks and schedules on a device with the help of assistive technologies like MeMinder can help keep them on task and engaged with their daily responsibilities even when there are intrusive distractions.  It gives them a normal go-to source to help them re-focus and maintain normalcy in trying times while making them more independent.  

In either scenario, assistive technology can provide a constant, or a much-needed escape even, in what feels to be a chaotic environment. It offers help without judgment and encouragement without the need for feedback. While the intention of assistive tech is NOT to take the place of person-to-person contact; for people with autism, it provides a source of safety and quiet to block out the noise.

Until next time, find your mind’s peaceful place, stay safe, healthy – and rooted in the positive.

Kerri

References:
How Autism May Affect Sympathy and Empathy, By Lisa Jo Rudy
https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-people-with-autism-lack-empathy-259887

The post How the Pandemic Fostered My Empathy for People with Autism appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

The need for this assistive technology is bore from years of government research that demonstrated that of the one million lower extremity joint replacements (LEJRs) performed each year, over 200,000 patients resided in rural areas and over half of the total number of LEJRs performed has surgeries performed at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The cost of these procedures for hospitalization alone cost the government over $9M per year and are expected to grow over 60% over the next decade. Meanwhile, the number of physical therapists needed to meet the rehab process requirements is set to increase by only 60% in this time frame; leaving a sizeable gap in the rehabilitation services needed to ensure proper recovery and that the Medicaid/Medicare funds were justifiable.

Rural patients (especially older adults) are at higher risk for an ineffective recovery from these surgeries due to lack of access to rehabilitation facilities, transportation, compliance enforcement, and inability to follow complex post-op rehabilitation instructions.
CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. was chosen by the USDA to receive a grant for the development of Mobility Coach, an assistive technology that will improve rural patient-provider interaction by post-surgery progress, monitoring physical therapy, and determining next steps to achieve the best possible outcomes for these rural patients. Patients will be armed with a device, software, appropriate monitors, and step-by-step visual demos that will:

• Provide daily exercise instruction to the patient
• Measure, record and report patient compliance data and pain medication usage
• Empower the patient to prescribe and push new exercises on prescribed basis
• Facilitate interactions between the patient and the PT in the form of Q & A’s as video     consultations

Phase One demonstrated the feasibility and utility of a prototype wearable sensor. Phase two milestones are currently under way and consist of the development of final requirements, enhance the Mobility Coach prototype design, perform extended field evaluations, and finally, develop the final software.

According to Steve Sutter, the principle investigator on the project, “Physical Therapists and Orthopedic Surgeons tell us repeatedly, that exercise post replacement is crucial to achieving the desired goal of pain free mobility and return to functionality. Mobility Coach measures the patient’s range-of-motion and number of reps completed. Results are presented to the patient, and the cloud for remote monitoring.”

Demonstration units will be shipping later this summer.

Mobility Coach, when launched, will be used by clinicians, physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons as an invaluable tool that will save time and money through faster recovery and reduction of expensive interventions. Mobility Coach will provide them with a high-level dashboard that will display the progress (or lack thereof) of all active patients, allow them to match methods to each patient individually, monitor and analyze predictive analysis, and initiate/answer questions in video visit sessions.

****************

About CreateAbility, Inc.

CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence.

We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues.

About the USDA

The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.

We have a vision to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our Nation’s natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.

Our strategic goals serve as a roadmap for the Department to help ensure we achieve our mission and implement our vision.

************

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Kerri A. Pinger

Market & Sales Support Administrator

CreateAbility, Inc.

kerri@createabilityinc.com

The post CreateAbility, Inc. Enters Phase Two of Development on USDA Backed Mobility Coach appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

In general, anyone with an intellectual disability may face challenges due to a combination of things such as mental fatigue and wavering from routine. Therefore, the consumer may be fearful of change, or anything that may disrupt their normal routine.    

Technology is bringing new opportunities to consumers with dementia, down syndrome, and other intellectual disabilities; helping them live more rich, productive and independent lives. For that reason, we’ve compiled a list to help you approach the technology divide and set your consumer up for successful technology adoption.    

Starting Off On the Right Foot:  A Purposeful Introduction to Technology     

In the words of Maria Montessori, creator of the Montessori approach to learning, “What you do for me, takes away from me.”  (ie, When you do things for me, you are taking away my opportunity to do for myself.) Positioning the technology as a bridge to consumer independence and empowerment and why that is important is the best way to start the learning process off on the right foot.    

 Keep the pitch simple, for example, “This is your new ______________, we are going to help teach you how to use it so you can ________________ for yourself.”   

Set aside plenty of individual learning time to teach the technology to the consumer; taking in mind that lengthy lessons will only frustrate and tire both dementia and ID consumers. Rule of thumb: small bites, chewed slowly.   

• Break down the topic; introducing one topic at a time.  
• Keep it simple. Stick with simple words. Have the consumers describe the process for clarity and understanding.  
• Repeat each message several times. Consumers tend to remember what they see and hear at the beginning of each topic if it is repeated again at the end.  
• Allow consumer plenty of opportunities to give their feedback or ask questions.   
• Offer encouraging feedback with every step in the process.   
• As mentioned, limit lesson to no more than one hour.  Less if you see fitting.  
• Demonstrate. Have consumers demonstrate what they know after the lesson. (They may act as though they understand by smiling and nodding, but that does not mean they are learning.  
• Use incentives as teaching tools. It will provide motivation and reinforcement for lessons learned.     

Every person, caregiver and situation will differ. However, the basics of effective adoption remain the same. Offer help that is tailored to the person who needs it. Some ways that you can do this are as follows:    

• Answer their questions to the best of your ability  
• Demonstrate what the new piece of technology is supposed to do 
• Show them how it will benefit their life/make things easier  
• Find them user guides on the Internet and tutorials 
• Provide them with resources to learn more
• Be available to them when they experience technology problems   

By offering individualized and caring assistance, you enable your loved one or charge to feel empowered and capable. This goes a long, long way in breaking down the fear of technology as a whole as well as increasing retention.     

On an individual level, it can be life changing. Not only has a better system been implemented, but the consumer has accomplished a major learning milestone!  If we can identify why people are afraid of technology and help them overcome these fears, we  will go much further and faster in creating ability for countless people around the world and the studies have shown just how critical the adoption phase of technology truly is.

At CreateAbility, we are here to ensure that our product not only helps your consumer build or keep their independence; but that they have a smooth transition throughout the adoption phase that increases the sustainability of its usage into the future. Made with simplicity in mind, CreateAbility also has an arsenal of instructional materials and online demos for your reference. We also have a committed staff who supports your success as their own mission to help you with any additional questions.  (That’s right…live people that are here for you to communicate with!)

Until next time!

The post Introducing Technology to People with Dementia and Intellectual Disabilities appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.