Archived: FY 2000 PHASE II AWARDS

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

FY 2000 Phase II Awards

SPONSORING OFFICE:
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Project Title:	Schedule Assistant™: A Portable Visual/Audio Prompting System for Enhancing Independence and Self-Determination in Personal Scheduling and Time Management for Individuals with Mental Retardation
Firm Name:	AbleLink Technologies, Inc. 1879 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 100 Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Principal Investigator:	Daniel K. Davies (719) 592-0347
Award:	$300,000

Abstract:
Portable computer technology offers promising new approaches to reducing dependence on others for individuals with mental retardation. Phase I of this SBIR project investigated the utility of Schedule Assistant ; a Windows CE based portable schedule prompting system designed to increase independence and self-determination in time management for individuals with mental retardation. During Phase I the system requirements were identified and a "proof-of concept" prototype of the Schedule Assistant system was developed and tested. The results of the pilot study demonstrated strong support for the contention that a Palmtop PC can effectively enhance independence for adults with mental retardation in personal scheduling and time management. Use of the Schedule Assistant prototype resulted in unproved schedule accuracy and increased independence when compared to a traditional scheduling approach for 12 subjects when performing a scheduled series of vocational and independent living tasks. These differences were statistically significant (p<.05).

In Phase II we will build on the successful Phase I results to:

complete the Schedule Assistant prompting system,
build a companion desktop software utility to help setup and manage multiple Schedule Assistant schedules, and
perform expanded field testing of the system to evaluate its applicability for a wide range of activities of daily living and levels of disability.

One of the most exciting aspects of Schedule Assistant is its promise for reducing dependence of individuals with mental retardation on human assistance in performing activities of daily living. Scheduled activities that have been impossible to initiate on time without prompting from a caregiver or counselor can be programmed into the portable system to prompt the individual to initiate the activity at the proper time. Phase II will provide the opportunity to develop the full Schedule Assistant system for use on a variety of available Palmtop and Handheld PCs so that its promise for increasing independence for individuals with mental retardation can be realized.

Summary of Anticipated Results and Implications:
Phase II will result in Schedule Assistant a commercial software application providing assistance with personal scheduling and time management for individuals with mental retardation. By capitalizing on commercially produced portable PCs, Schedule Assistant provides a much more cost-effective approach to providing portable independent living aids because a single hardware unit will be able to operate a variety of independence applications built specifically for the Windows CE computer platform. The Schedule Assistant software is projected to cost under $200. Given the large numbers of individuals with mental retardation as well as other disability populations that have a similar need for reminder tools (e.g.- individuals with traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer's, as well as elderly individuals), the commercial potential for Schedule Assistant is substantial.

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This page last modified August 15, 2000. (lje)