October 14, 2012 11:49 AM
It could have been the end.
The recession threatened to deal a death blow to AbleLink Technologies, a Colorado Springs-based company that develops software to help those with cognitive disabilities live more independently. But an increased focus on applications for Internet-connected mobile devices has helped breathe new life into the company.
A dearth of federal grants ? which had provided the bulk of AbleLink?s revenue ? as the recession took hold in 2007 forced the company to reduce its 10-person staff to six and left founder and President Dan Davies wondering many times whether AbleLink would survive.
But since the U.S. economy bottomed out in 2010, AbleLink has won more than $2.8 million in federal grants to develop mobile applications to aid people with cognitive disabilities.
?It has been more challenging to get grants and to generate revenue from sales due to budget cuts. We are down from where we were in 2007, but we are moving in the right direction,? Davies said. ?There were several times in the past four years I thought that we might not make it. We hit our low point two years ago and were receiving very few grants, so we had to be creative and find new ways to sell our product to new customers by moving the technology to mobile devices and partnering with organizations that serve people with developmental disabilities.?
AbleLink has expanded its market beyond people with cognitive disabilities to include those with traumatic brain injuries and senior citizens and by forming partnerships with agencies that serve people with cognitive disabilities to finance a suite of applications ranging from audio-based email and video calling to safety alerts and reminders to complete specific tasks, Davies said. The company also has converted its existing software from desktop to mobile applications and developed applications solely for mobile devices.
The company?s most recent grant totals $500,000 over two years to develop mobile applications that can be accessed on devices ranging from iPad tablet computers to Android smartphones to provide those with cognitive disabilities step-by-step directions to accomplish routine tasks ranging from making scrambled eggs to taking a blood-pressure reading. The grant was awarded in September by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, a unit of the Department of Education?s Office of Special Education.
?We are building a growing library of tasks ? there are about 150 right now and we would like to have several thousand available on the cloud ? that are created by users and available as part of an online learning library. It is built like the iTunes library where you will be able to purchase specific task instructions and some will be free,? Davies said. ?We also want to extend this capability to more devices and with more features, such as remotely notifying a caregiver or family member that the individual has taken their medication on time, for example.?
Other grants AbleLink has received in the past year or so include:
? A $75,000 grant received a year ago to develop Endeavor Connect, a Facebook application made available in May that simplifies the social media site for those with cognitive disabilities and allows users to use Facebook entirely with voice commands to post information and comment on and like the posts of others. The Department of Education grant is under the Small Business Innovation Research program that requires federal agencies to set aside part of their research budgets for small businesses.
? Another $75,000 grant awarded in August by the Education Department to develop applications for mobile devices using the Android and Apple operating systems to help people with cognitive disabilities learn about voting. The application is expected to be tested early next year and available for download in March. The application is similar to another AbleLink has created to teach those with cognitive abilities about healthy living and will include videos, slide shows and a test that will allow users to fill out a sample ballot.
? Another $75,000 grant awarded last year by the Education Department to develop an application called Schedule Manager for Android and Apple mobile devices and desktop computers that allows caregivers to set, monitor and change scheduled appointments for people with cognitive disabilities.
? A two-year, $500,000 grant awarded by the Education Department in late 2010 to develop Accessible Testing, Learning and Assessment System (ATLAS) software that can be used by schools, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to assess the skills, living arrangements and other information about people with cognitive disabilities. The software was rolled out last month, but the company is still determining pricing, Davies said.
? A $330,000 grant awarded last year by the National Institutes of Health to develop a GPS-enabled mobile application called Route Walker that uses a scavenger hunt to encourage those with cognitive disabilities to improve fitness and lose weight by walking more frequently.
? A $1.3 million grant awarded in April 2011 by the National Institute on Aging to develop an application for mobile devices called Health Care Manager ? which can be operated solely with voice commands ? to make it easier for senior citizens to stay in their homes by helping them make health care decisions.
Davies started AbleLink in 1997 to complete a grant that had been started while he was vice president of Meeting The Challenge, a company he formed with two other partners to develop products for people with disabilities. Meeting The Challenge changed direction shortly after it was formed after winning a contract to create a clearinghouse in the Rocky Mountain region for information on complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act; that shift prompted Davies to start his company to create products for those with cognitive disabilities.
Davies has spent much of his life dedicated to helping those with cognitive disabilities. His late older brother, John Davies, was born with severe cognitive disabilities, hearing impairment and couldn?t speak. John Davies lived at home until he was 10, when he moved to a special school. He died at age 33.
Dan Davies and AbleLink Vice President Steve Stock formed the Davis-Gauthier Foundation, named for John Davies and Stock?s uncle, who also had cognitive disabilities, to provide free and low-cost computer equipment and special software to special education programs and agencies providing services to people with cognitive disabilities.
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Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/ablelink-145888-company-connected.html
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