TechMentor Program

This video highlights the personal MyGuide journey that inspired our TechMentor Program. Originally a TechMentor for his own family, our Sr. Director of Development is responsible for programs that train dedicated TechMentors and Certified MyGuide Professionals.

What is a TechMentor?

A TechMentor is an advocate, a professional, or a family member who personalizes assistive technology for at least one person with special needs to participate more fully in their own lives on their own terms. Because technology alone cannot transform industries, TechMentors are needed to empowers technology users to express their own voice and choice so that their caregivers can better know and understand their internal experiences. A TechMentor is trained to use MyGuide software as a tool to improve human relationships in a modern world.

Tech-Enabled Self-Determination

Self-determination is the ability to control one’s own life by understanding and effectively expressing what they need and want. This is a critical component of person-centered support is self-assessment and reporting of needs, requests, and consents. Those with temporary or chronic cognitive support needs face many barriers to developing and practicing self-determination, especially if they have additional sensory needs, co-occurring medical conditions, or are experiencing crisis.

Challenges with emotional regulation and self-expression are hallmarks of lacking self-determination. Professionals in healthcare, education, aging, vocational rehab, and veterans services recognize that even with an unlimited supply of professional caregivers, human intervention alone cannot accurately or consistently interpret the internal experiences of the people they support. The TechMentor program provides training and support to leverage MyGuide technology to improve self-awareness, self-assessment and self-expression skills of the user and provide insights about their internal experiences to their caregivers.

MyGuide Professional Certification

MyGuide-certified Professionals are providers, clinicians, teachers, advocates, and interns who have been cross-trained to leverage tech-based interventions and tools to:

  1. Improve independence, self-sufficiency, and self-determination;

  2. Enhance or expand the impacts of existing services and supports;

  3. Reduce the need for human interventions (e.g. human prompting, supervision); and

  4. Increase the use of standardized technology as a lifetime resource.

MyGuide professional certification aims to establish technology parity for people with special needs, so they may benefit from technology as much as everyone else in their community. Certification includes user assessment of needs indicators, person-centered configuration of MyGuide solutions, and implementation strategies proven in a 3-year case study with 700 MyGuide users to improve self-determination, emotional regulation, communication, and meaningful human interactions.