Latasha Smith, resident Lauren Lindsey

Darien Foundation Awards $80K To Convert The Cottage, a STAR Group Residence, Into a ‘Smart Home’

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While the six residents at the Darien Cottage are already living semi-independently and several of them hold jobs and volunteer locally, smart home assistive technology will soon allow them to be more self-reliant in their home. — an announcement from STAR Inc., Lighting the Way and The Darien Foundation

Nestled on Edgerton Street, the STAR Cottage is home to six residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including wheelchair user, Ashley Milne. Now, when Ashley wishes to enter or exit the Cottage, she relies upon other people to open and close the doors for her. Now, through a $80,707 grant from The Darien Foundation, the STAR group residence will literally be able to open doors for Ashley. When fellow resident Tom Gogolak turns in for the night, he and the residential staff perform a series of tasks to lock up the house, arm the security system, and shut down all of the devices.