MUSKEGON, Mich. — A new space in Muskegon is aiming to give people with disabilities a better chance to live on their own.
The Discovery Lab is filled with smart technology designed to make everyday tasks easier. For Muskegon resident Jeffrey Van Dyke, who uses a wheelchair, it includes something he has never had: a kitchen where he can reach everything.
“This is a game changer,” Van Dyke said. “It opens doors for people to experience life, and for me, it would give me a possibility to explore cooking.”
Van Dyke says it’s the first kitchen built with someone like him in mind.
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The lab is run by MOKA, an organization that began in 1978 when a small group of parents in Kent County came together out of concern for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the time, many people with disabilities were moving out of institutions and back into their communities.
Nearly 50 years later, MOKA led Michigan’s first “tech first” effort.
“It allows providers and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to think about independence through the lens of technology,” said Diane Fleecer, MOKA’s director of programs. “So thinking about technology use as a paradigm shift in how we deliver services for this particular population to enhance their independence, create greater dignity.”
That effort started about three years ago with two smart homes in Kent County. MOKA says the results were powerful.
“Greater independence means greater quality of life, greater health,” Fleecer said. “They’ve been the biggest advocates for this movement. Just joy in being better connected to the community and being able to have that independence and autonomy to pursue those things on their own or with support.”
The Discovery Lab is the next step. It has more than 100 pieces of technology, paid for through a grant from Impart Alliance, an extension of Michigan State University. Features include a smart oven that cooks with infrared light, voice-activated faucets, and cabinets that lower for people who use wheelchairs.
“We’re really inviting individuals to come in here and explore, learn, play, and just be exposed to the types of technology that are available,” Fleecer said.
MOKA says the technology helps not only the people using it, but also the families and caregivers around them.
“Not only has it helped the individuals live better, have more autonomy and independence, but we’ve also seen a really great impact on the people who are providing supports for those individuals,” Fleecer said. “So that’s been really cool to see it be mutually beneficial.”
The goal is to help people find the devices that work for them and get that technology into their homes. A lending library will let people check out devices and try them first.
For Van Dyke, the technology offers more than convenience.
“It would give me the independence and freedom to live a more complete life, to just be able to cook and do things as I wanted to, instead of having to rely on systems that weren’t necessarily built with somebody like me in mind,” he said. “So that opens up a whole new world for people.”
He also sees the benefits reaching well beyond himself.
“Accessibility doesn’t just open up the world for people who are currently disabled, but for the future who are going to become disabled,” Van Dyke said. “So it doesn’t just help me; it helps your kids, it helps the grandkids, it helps whoever. It’s about making a community where everybody is a part of it, not just some people.”
The Discovery Lab is not open to the public yet. MOKA plans to open its doors in January.
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