Begin with Knowledge Translation; Have the End – Technology Transfer – in Mind Begin with Knowledge Translation; Have the End – Technology Transfer – in Mind Webcast sponsored by SEDL June 3, 2010, 2:00 pm (Central) / 3:00 pm (Eastern) James A. Leahy Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer University at Buffalo © 2010 by University at Buffalo

Acknowledgement This is a publication of the Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education under grant number H133A The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Education. 2

Presentation Focus What is the Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award? How are NIDRR Technology Grantees Selected for the Award? A NIDRR Phase 1 SBIR grantee, CreateAbility Concepts, Inc is the very First PUSH Award winner and recipient of $1000 monetary stipend. What are the exemplary processes that CreateAbility Concepts utilized in three areas related to Knowledge Translation (KT) for Technology Transfer (TT)? Examples of similar exemplary processes shown by another NIDRR Technology grantee, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC). Future Awards? 3

4 What is the Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award? Peer to peer dissemination activity. Identification of Best Practice approaches of KT for TT exhibited by NIDRR technology grantees. Goal is to provide exemplars of research utilization to NIDRR community. Grantee provides evidence based description of their best practice approach for dissemination and receives $1000 monetary award.

5 What is the PUSH Award Selection Process? Who is Eligible? NIDRR Technology grantees (RERC, SBIR, RRTC, etc) comprise the selection pool for the PUSH award. KT4TT is seeking grantee that has demonstrated exemplary practices in the development, transfer and production of AT (see KT4TT web site): Grantee willingness to share their processes with the broader NIDRR community and provide KT4TT detailed information on their exemplary practices.

6 KT4TT’s First PUSH Award Winner is …. CreateAbility Concepts Inc. (CCI) NIDRR Phase 1 SBIR grantee for Best Practice KT and product development processes used on the HearingCompanion Project What is the HearingCompanion? Device/Project Goal was establishing HearingCompanion’s technical merit, feasibility of use and efficacy of required functional features

7 Exemplary Processes First and Foremost – willingness of CCI to partner with an organization (Assistive Technology Partners (ATP) in Colorado) to provide needed expertise that CCI was lacking – Use of another NIDRR grantee with related experience in application area – Use of another NIDRR grantee with access to consumers in the device target population area – Did not ‘Re- invent the Wheel’

8 Exemplary Processes (cont.) Identification of an unmet need for a technology based solution for PWD. –Need for new knowledge or need to demonstrate feasibility through a prototype device? –Requirements analysis performed  Face to face meetings with potential consumers  Phone interviews with hearing professionals  In-depth Literature Review  Development of initial system requirements  Identification of existing technologies to address system requirements

9 Involvement of Consumers –For articulation of the target population’s needs –For translation of those needs into device specifications –For testing prototype models for usability Exemplary Processes (cont.)

10 PUSH Award Recipient Summary For a 6 month Phase 1 SBIR grantee CCI leveraged available time and funding to its fullest. Project yielded a functional and tested prototype device. Including consumers throughout the design process ensured consumers would encounter a device designed for them.

11 PUSH Award Recipient Summary (cont.) Embedded Knowledge Translation processes throughout – thus ensuring CCI will be able to communicate their project results to all stakeholders. How? Let me explain.

12 Example of Other Exemplary Processes: Diane Bryen of the AAC-RERC Dr. Bryen found adult users of AAC products lacked the vocabulary and symbol sets for many socially valued adult roles. Worked with people with disabilities, caregivers and clinicians, to produce 8 evidenced based vocabulary sets. How did she involve consumers early on? 16 online focus groups were used to generate the needed words for the 8 vocabulary sets.

13 Diane Bryen of the AAC-RERC Involvement with consumers didn’t end there. Developed an EmergencyCommunication 4 ALL board for AAC users – available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole Widely distributed the boards to consumers and AT professionals through Temple University’s Institute on Disability web site And the story continues….

14 For more detailed information on this subject, we invite you to visit the Need to Knowledge (NtK) model, a new product development model for technology-based commercial devices and services, at our web site: kt4tt.buffalo.edu/knowledgebase/model.php kt4tt.buffalo.edu/knowledgebase/model.php Additional Information and Resources

15 Future PUSH Awards Will be selected from other NIDRR technology grantees Will center on grantees adaptation of research and development knowledge into an understandable and contextually relevant form for other stakeholders Will focus on grantees translating and communicating research findings to other stakeholders – manufacturers, clinicians, researchers, brokers, and policy makers