Right around the same time Mark Zuckerberg was launching his new idea for social interaction on a global scale, these parents were working on tools for communication on a much smaller scale.
Waterbury, CT (PRWEB) October 19, 2016
Companies often refer to their products as a “family” of brands, but Minnesota-based Beyond Adaptive and their new parent company, Connecticut-based LoganTech, take the corporate definition of family to another level. Both companies were founded by people who were searching for solutions to their own literal family members’ struggles in living with disabilities. Now, as these two companies come under one roof, it’s that same spirit of ingenuity and love for family that will propel them both forward.
Right around the same time Mark Zuckerberg was launching his new idea for social interaction on a global scale, Glen Dobbs, founder of LoganTech, was hunched over a sketchpad on his kitchen table working on a tool for communication and socialization on a much smaller scale. Glen’s son Logan is autistic and nonverbal, meaning he can’t communicate using his own voice. Instead he was using a system of symbols known as PECS. Many individuals move quite naturally from PECS into more complex, computerized augmentative and alternative communication devices, but this transition wasn’t coming naturally for Logan, and his father was determined to find a solution – a stepping stone from PECS into more advanced AAC technologies. The solution was released a year later and was aptly named the Logan ProxTalker.
Several states away, that very same year, Julie and Cedar Vandergon were sitting at their kitchen table in Saint Paul, Minnesota brainstorming solutions for their daughter Brea, who has cerebral palsy and was facing some communication hurdles of her own. They were exploring iPad-based communication apps but Brea was unable to accurately control her hands and couldn’t use the iPad without someone holding it for her. Since the iPad was still very new at the time, there weren’t any out-of-the-box solutions that would give Brea the independence she needed. Cedar was able to find a few products that came close but still didn’t completely meet her needs, so he set to work piecing the best parts of each into a custom-made mounting arm, cradle and keyguard for Brea’s iPad. It wasn’t long until Brea’s teachers and therapists took note of it and wanted the same for others in their care with similar needs.
It’s really no surprise that these two companies, founded by parents who are obviously kindred spirits, have found their way to one another. Beyond Adaptive is the second acquisition of this type for LoganTech. The 6dot line of Braille Products, conceived by a group of MIT students, joined the “family” in 2012.
In speaking of this latest acquisition, Glen Dobbs said “The Beyond Adaptive lines of mounting arms, device cradles and custom touchscreen keyguards are a really natural extension of our existing catalogue of products. Our target markets are very similar and the end-users of these products often use a combination of adaptive products that includes items from both sides of this coin.”
Cedar Vandergon added, “Starting a company is very much like raising a child. You put your whole heart and soul into creating a path for it to grow and succeed. We couldn’t be happier about this next step for our business and these products which have meant so much to our family.”
To learn more about LoganTech and their entire collection of assistive and adaptive technology products, visit: http://www.LoganTech.com. You can request a free, on-site product demonstration by visiting http://www.logantech.com/pages/demo or by calling LoganTech’s assistive technology specialists at (866) 962-0966.