Organizations that have impacted our quality of life positively
We are supported by a number of nonprofit organizations, state organizations, and companies. We want to highlight many of those groups and how we work together to improve our quality of life.
Team Gleason
Team Gleason helped us with voice banking. Steve did some testing on some voice technology that he has used in videos and day to day communication.
ALS Association
We participate in monthly support meetings where we share our experience with other families. Early on, the ALSA gave us some basic equipment including a wheelchair.
Live Like Lou Foundation
We just started working with the foundation and are excited to see how it goes.
Bridging Voice
When we first heard about Bridging Voice, we were unclear about what they did. Now we know. They have a wealth of training and education on their YouTube channel. Steve’s favorite so far is about calibrating your eye gaze device. They also build technology from games to software integration. Steve is using their ElevenLabs integration with Communicator 5 to enable his AI voice. It is very cool!
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is a technology company that specializes in AI voice generation. Through a partnership with Bridging Voice, they are making licenses for their solution available to those of with ALS. We extremely happy with Steve’s AI voice.
Capital City Christian Church
Cap City is local church here in Frankfort, KY. They have been with us through the most significant decline the past few years. During this time, we have built new friendships, and they have shown us great generosity. Sheila is involved in some Bible study groups which has helped her engage with friends without worrying about me. Various friends from the church have helped us with needs including haircuts and house projects. We are blessed by and grateful for our church.
Grace Church
Grace Church was our church home for over 20 years. We have built lifelong friendships there. They have were there at the beginning of all this. Their love and prayers give us strength. We continue to worship with them virtually every Sunday. We truly miss seeing them in person.
Kentucky Vocational Rehabilitation
The goal of Vocational Rehabilitation, or Voc Rehab, is to help people with disabilities maintain their current job or find a career well suited for them. In my case, they provided a lot of equipment to keep me mobile such as lifts and vehicle modifications. They also helped with accessibility tools for my office. This helped me extend my ability to work and travel for work.
KATS Network
KATS Network is primarily a loaner closet with tools and technology to support various accessibility needs. We used them to try everything from utensils to cushions to canes.
Apex Mobility Products
Apex Mobility Products
Roddy Williams, the owner, has been awesome! He has worked with us on a Go-Chair and a Permobile. He helped with loaners and set up. He has been invaluable whenever we needed adjustments.
