News

News

September 12-14, 08: Be sure to add the 2008 Minneapolis Abilities Expo to your calendar!

April 15, 08: Mark Felling, presented the Minnesota Awards for Excellence for Assistive Technology in the Rotunda of the Minnesota Capitol at 1 p.m. as Master of Ceremony with other members of the Minnesota Governor's Adaptive Technology Advisory Council. Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau and the Commissioner of Administration, Dana Badgerow, will be making introductory remarks. There will be a reception in the great hall following the ceremony.

April 5, 08: GimpGear Comfort Carriers will be utilized for wheelchair transfers at kayaking event for disabled on calm West Beach, north of the pier in Santa Barbara, California.

March 13, 08 USA Today - "Airlines tackle wheelchair need" (or not!) For passenger service workers, those who assist with wheelchair transfers, "the average pay is less than $19,000 a year. Some 60% said they had not been formally trained in how to lift an immobile passenger." Save yourself and get a Comfort Carrier TODAY!

Feb 21, 08: Broadened Horizons introduces the GimpGear Switch Adapted, Accessible Wiimote . The configuration can be strapped to the gamers forearm and the buttons operated with remote adaptive switches. Also introduced simultaneously is a package to also use the Wiimote motion and position sensing capabilities as a unique mouse controller. Used as a rehabilitation tool, it provides a new, fun strengthening and positioning therapy possibilities for professionals!

Jan 24, 08: Mark Felling, President of Broadened Horizons on request participated in Minnesota Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Self-Employment Workshop as a disabled entrepreneur. The objective was to explore methods by which Minnesota Voc Rehab might expand the percentage of individuals starting small business from 1% which represents very little to no effort in this regard, to the state average of closer to 11% over the next 10 years. While Minnesota does an exceptional job in many regards in services for the disabled, this disparagement and resulting improvement is partially being driven by the federal government through whom a portion of funding is derived. Read the focus group results from the highly successful Disability Venture Pilot Project.

Jan 15, 08: Mark Felling, President of Broadened Horizons was elected Chairman of the Minnesota Governor's Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities.

Jan 1, 08: Broadened Horizons introduces the new QuadMouse offering very disabled individuals efficient, cost effective use of a computer utilizing only slight movements of their chin, lips, or even tongue. Priced at only $499 including the rigid, snakelike 3rd Hand Mount, is a very attractive alternative to other control technologies often costing thousands of dollars, yet more effective. Since the user is not connected to the computer by any wires, they are free to pull up to and away from the computer at will independently.

11-08-07: Broadened Horizons' new VoiceIR Infrared Environmental Control System and VoiceBT featured in the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Holiday Gift Guide 2007

October 25th, 07: Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota State Governor, appointed Mark Felling, President of Broadened Horizons, to the Governors Advisory Council On Technology for People with Disabilities for a 2 year term. [Appointment & Press Release PDF] The Governors Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities administers the Minnesota System of Technology to Achieve Results (STAR) program. The STAR Program is federally funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in accordance with the Assistive Technology Act of 1998. Council consists of 16 members including 11 public members appointed by the governor and five members of designated state agencies. Disability Minnesota - Gateway for Disability Information in Minnesota

October 16, 07: Broadened Horizons President, Mark Felling, will be speaking at the United Cerebral Palsy Central Minnesota annual dinner meeting at the Kelly Inn in St. Cloud, Minnesota. On request he will be sharing the multimedia story of surviving his 2003 airplane crash into the Minnesota River Valley and how his resulting rehabilitation experience as a C5 quadriplegic led him to start Broadened Horizons. A brief demonstration of a few latest GimpGear products will follow.

September 7-9, 07: Broadened Horizons will be exhibiting at the 1st annual Minneapolis Abilities Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center along with 100 other organizations providing products and services to the disabled community. Be sure to visit us at booth 507 across from Microsoft! A variety of special event's will be going on each day. The Abilities Expo is a large national conference held annually in New York, Southern California, San Antonio Texas, and now Minneapolis, Minnesota. On-site admission to Abilities Expo is $5; children under 12 are free or print the ticket info page from the Abilities Expo website for FREE admission! [Turned out to be three very busy days with over 4000 people in attendance and often a line of people waiting to discuss our products!]

August 30, 07: Mark Felling, Quadriplegic Engineer, Inventor, MBA and President of Broadened Horizons will be speaking at the Minnesota State Fair DNR Bandshell. Mr. Felling will be discussing the impact having access to appropriate tools can have on anyone's life, and more specifically the absolute life-changing, society sweeping significance such tools mekn to the life of a mobility impaired person. By request, he will be introducing some of the "GimpGear" Broadened Horizons offers to demonstrate specifically how it impacts not only their customers lives, but everyone's! More information concerning Broadened Horizons can be found at www.GimpGear.US or for Capable Partners at www.CapablePartners.org.

July 17, 06: Senator Harkin spent several moments today talking in front of U.S. Senate about letter signed and sent by Broadened Horizons and more than 591 advocacy, health, research, scientific, & religious organizations in support of HR 810 - The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. (read it)

June 13, 06: This article about Mark Felling, Broadened Horizons' President and CEO appears in this month's edition of the Access Press, an excellent disability oriented monthly newspaper. "A Fall from the Sky - Plane Crash Leads Local Man to Successful Career As Innovator/Entrepreneur".

April 15, 06: Editorial

A Challenge to Commercial Airlines Operators

by Mark Felling, Quadriplegic Engineer & Inventor, MBA

President, Broadened Horizons

Making money in business is not only about controlling costs but more so about earning revenues by satisfying customer needs or desires. While running an airlines may be complex, every kid with a lemonade stand knows this basic rule of business, yet commercial airline executives seem to have forgotten it! Instead, they move from airline to airline running the business through bankruptcy to avoid paying debts on large purchased assets (airplanes) while being protected by our government, which is terrified of disrupting the status quo in the national air transportation system.

Would you like to increase revenues while saving money?

Take market share from your competitors?

Improve the service quality and experience provided to all customers?

It is no secret that in combination these three goals will have a very significant, measurable impact on any business' bottom line, and are the lifeblood of any airline.

Any airlines can achieve all of these goals at the same time and with a very minimal investment!

How? Simply improve your services to your wheelchair using clientele - take the measures to become truly wheelchair accessible!

Currently wheelchair users tend to be treated as a necessary cost of doing business rather than as a profitable opportunity. Don't deny it, or if you feel you must - take a survey but we wheelers have already been telling use this for a long time, so I invite you to join me on a flight and the truth of that statement and your lost opportunities will slap you in the face.

Over 80% of the time the 1.7 million wheelchair users in the US fly, their equipment is damaged or mishandled in some way.

Not only do we passionately avoid flying unless absolutely necessary as a result, for all of the more costly damages the airlines are left holding the bag paying out thousands of dollars on a single incident. We end covering the less costly damages because the inconvenience isn't worth the effort of trying to fight the roadblocks your organizations have naturally built. Such is the case regarding a recent trip I took to Cleveland in January for which Northwest received a few hundred dollar fare and ended up with a few thousand dollar repair bill as a direct result of witnessed employee negligence but indirectly as a result of being inaccessible.

Of a greater financial concern to airlines would be the fact that due to the complexities and time restraints of boarding many wheelchair users like myself, the plane ends up leaving a bit late, time which must be made up in-flight at a significantly greater cost in fuel while further stressing employees and customers. This does not take into account personnel time and employment costs, Workmen's Comp. claims, and a number of other associated costs.

What if there was an emergency and an aircraft had to be evacuated quickly? What provisions are in place to carry a disabled person off the airplane in an expedient manner? As a quadriplegic who has flown commercially 5 times in the past six months, I would not rate my chances of survival very high. What is the planned cost of doing business for paying off the resulting lawsuit, what am I worth?

Broadened Horizons' (www.BroadenedHorizons.com) "Comfort Carrier" Transfer Sling is designed specifically to make traveling a smoother, safer, more enjoyable experience for disabled wheelchair users. However, it is only a temporary, partial solution to help alleviate the problems created by wheelchair inaccessibility in the short-term, or on smaller aircraft. Commercial airlines must develop and implement truly accessible, wheelchair friendly services to turn this cost center, which it is highly doubtful has ever been completely quantified, into one of profit.

In 1995, people with disabilities spent $81.7 billion on travel. This did not include the significant expenditures of their families, friends, and escorts/assistants. (Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality).

Companies marketing to people with disabilities can reach as many as 4 in every 10 consumers.

29% of US families have at least one member with a disability, and of these 54 million people in the US limited due to long-term disability, 73% are head of households.

Implementing only the access provisions of the ADA has increased revenues in the hotel and hospitality industry by 12 percent. (US General Accounting Office report)

With unique, intimate understanding of the needs, opportunities, and challenges in serving this market segment Broadened Horizons can provide valuable services and solutions towards developing and implementing wheelchair friendly services.