Upstate Cerebral Palsy Welcomes a Groundbreaking Program

Upstate Cerebral Palsy just welcomed a groundbreaking program at its Barneveld Campus today. The amazing technology is expected to transform the lives of dozens of people with cerebral palsy in our area.

This technology allows people with cerebral palsy to create art.  Artistic realization technologies, or a-r-t, has launched the program in many areas across the country, and now has brought it to upstate cerebral palsy.  Executive director of ART Tim Lefens explained how the seed was planted in his brain to create the technology, after meeting some people with severe physical challenges. "It occurred to me that they were not being able to reach their potential, that they were kind of trapped," he says."

So he created a head mounted laser, that people can wear on their heads and point the laser to where on a canvas they'd like the paint to go.  Lefen explains, "The laser strikes the canvas and an able bodied and a highly trained studio assistant simply follows where the light goes with a loaded brush." The studio assistant works with the individual to choose a paint color and texture by asking them yes or no questions.  And Lefen says the process can be life-changing for some people.

Wendy Aiello watched her son Phillip use the laser for the first time today, and says he'll feel a lot better after doing this. "These kids don't have a lot of ways to express themselves other than maybe frustration sometimes," she says, "so to see them get it out in a happy and positive way is really a great thing."

For more information you can visit http://www.artrealization.org/.