Help make the kids of the Broward Children’s Center rock stars!

Through the generosity of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, the Broward Children’s Center was notified that they are donating a Rock Band kiosk(pictured) fully loaded with a plama TV, XBox 360 and full Rock Band gear. The Starlight Children’s Foundation helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. What a great entertainment device for the children of our center to enjoy!

Many of the children at the Broward Children’s Center use assistive technology to function in their daily lives.  I started hunting around the internet and found an adaptive guitar that allows us to tie devices such as sip-and-puff technology into the gaming system opening the door to even MORE of our kids and providing them with ability to enjoy this wonderful donation as well.

I ended up finding a device called AT-Play from Compusult to accomplish exactly what I was looking for.  As described on their website:

AT-Play allows physically disabled persons to independently play the Rock Band 2 video game for Xbox 360. Guitar strumming and chords can be controlled with your preferred arrangement of switches, including sip-and-puff devices, buttons, and foot pedals.

This same company has provided us with proven technologies in the past and are a very highly respected company.  They are also the makers of the Jouse 2 product which is their version of sip-and-puff technology.  Several of our kids at the Broward Children’s Center utilize this equipment every single day.

So with the kiosk on its way to our facility and the adaptive and assistive technology at our fingertips, I am trying to raise funds to help pay for this modified equipment.  To make a donation, no matter how  much, all you have to do is CLICK HERE. All donations will be processed through First Giving and donated directly to the Broward Children’s Center.  You can also click on the “widget” in the right hand column of this blog to make a donation.

If you would like to see this technology in action, I have included the video from Compusult below.  If you fast forward to about 3:00 into the video, you will see this modified technology in action.  Once we have this entire setup in place I am hoping to get some video of the kids at the center enjoying this great new addition!

Once again, I am asking for your help to raise funds for the adaptive part of the setup.  Donate Now to bring a smile to their face and help make the kids at the Broward Children’s Center a Rock Star!

Freedom From Ventilators

The Broward Children’s Center in conjunction with Dr. Raymond P. Onders presents “Freedom From Ventilators!”  This presentation describes a revolutionary new medical device that may free patients from ventilator dependency.

Tongue-Powered Technology For The Disabled

Technology Assisting the Disabled

Join us tomorrow, November 19th 2009 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm EST at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce conference room for a FREE presentation on this awesome technology.

Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic, tongue-powered system could transform a disabled person’s mouth into a virtual computer, teeth into a keyboard – and tongue into the key that manipulates it all!

Presented by Maysam Ghovanloo of the Georgia Institute of Technology in coordination with ARC Broward, Broward Children’s Center, The Wasie Foundation and the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

For those of you who can not attend this event, I will be broadcasting it LIVE at the times listed above.  You can visit the live stream tomorrow by going to:

http://www.SkipKimpel.com/live/

Remember, this event is FREE and open to the public.  If you do plan on attending the event at the Chamber office, please RSVP to mleachman@arcbroward.com or by calling 954-746-9400.

The Ft. Lauderdale Chamber office is located at 512 NE 3rd Ave, Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33301

Hope to see you there or online!

Broward Children’s Center Kids – In Our Own Words

This heart warming video highlights some of our kids at the Broward Children’s Center… in their own words.  If you think life is tough for you, make sure you watch this video to bring your life into perspective.

It also gives you a good idea of the children that we serve at the BCC and the challenges that we have to overcome both medically as well as technologically.