Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Category: General

This month RESNA spoke with Steve Sutter, President, CreateAbility Concepts, Inc, Chair of RESNA Cognition and Sensory Loss SIG.

How did you first become interested in the world of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology?

Divine intervention.

My A plan was to retire from Hewlett Packard where I loved my job. Then in a flash, my passion for HP vanished and I was given a new purpose. In the fogged glass of the shower, I drew the Venn diagram of my three passions. The small triangle of the 3 overlapping circles represented: Helping people with intellectual disabilities, using technology at home, and using technology in the workplace.

But this was 1997, and no matter what combination of search words I typed into ‘Ask Jeeves’ using my Compaq computer’s 1200 baud modem, it didn’t result in anything that made sense. So, I made a PowerPoint slide, and gave it to everyone I knew. A good friend recognized that’s what his brother was talking about when he saw him at Thanksgiving every year. His brother is Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden, past president, Fellow of RESNA, and head of Trace Research. Gregg was kind enough to open this world of AT to me.

What drives your passion for AT?

We never really feel like we have arrived at the perfect solution, but simply that we are one step closer. One of my heroes is Marc Gold, specifically for his “Try another way” mantra. We try to make each version of our apps or cloud-based solutions from that point of view - give people more options and different ways to help them accomplish their goals, listen to their feedback regarding what could be easier, and try again.

What is your proudest accomplishment you’ve achieved during your career in AT?

Assembling the best team that I have ever had the honor to work with. It’s never really been about technology, that’s just the mechanism. It’s about listening and actively engaging with the whole service model, and then enabling people to better serve other people in profoundly new ways that are important to them. I learned that from another one of my heroes, Michael Smull, the godfather of person-centered planning.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to get more involved with RESNA?

Anyone can find their niche at RESNA. Everyone you’ll meet is helpful and supportive, and if they don’t know the answer to your question, they probably know someone who does. When you are ready, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Communities of Practice are always welcoming new people.

What are you most of in your role as the chair of the Cognition and Sensory Loss SIG?

My most proud achievements fit into three main categories -

• Helping employers see the potential of people with intellectual developmental disabilities as a new alternative to fill their open job positions.
• When you can help a person find the right fit for a real job that pays real wages, it changes their life. Beyond the income, it helps renew their purpose with a deep sense that they are contributing.
• Giving hope to people with Autism or Down Syndrome who want to work, or people who are recovering from a brain injury and wish to return to the workforce.

How has your role with RESNA led to your participation on an advisory panel for the American Institute for Research?

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) approached RESNA for support of a grant proposal on improving methods for conducting research with people who have cognitive disabilities. After they successfully received the grant, they asked our Executive Director, Andrea Van Hook, for a RESNA expert to serve on an advisory panel. She asked me, as chair of the Cognition and Sensory Loss SIG, if I would be interested. I was honored to be asked.

My focus is on translating my experiences to help make the research process more fun, engaging, and less scary for people with cognitive disabilities. We are all somewhat afraid of things that we don’t understand, and this population might feel this a little more deeply.

We’re talking a lot about Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not new, but the intensity and frequency that it is in the news can be overwhelming unless we see it as a tool. For example, what I have learned mostly from AI is how to form better questions. Keep trying different combinations, e.g. instead of ‘how can we make AI more accessible to people with cognitive impairments?’, perhaps try ‘how can AI make the world more accessible to people with cognitive impairments?’

What excites you most about the future of the field of assistive technology?

I’m excited about helping people flourish, and I think future assistive technology is a necessary but not sufficient element to help people excel, explore, and participate in a more accessible world.

I’m just a blacksmith. Back when horses were everywhere, people used them to go places or to accomplish something important to them. Nobody had a goal of wanting new shoes for their horse. I can’t wait to see where they ride or accomplish with the new set of shoes