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Experiences spark ID Button invention
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Published: October 27, 2008
The words flow easily when Shawn Bondy talks about the product he invented — an ID button that can be used for a variety of purposes.
The buttons, which can contain a name and phone number or a name and medical conditions, are sewn directly into the clothing of those with Alzheimer's disease or cognitive impairments or small children — anyone who could wander away and not be able to communicate effectively to come home on their own.
Bondy is passionate about his product. That passion comes from his own life experiences.
His brother, Derk, 54, lives in the Kelly House group home in Statesville. He has cerebral palsy and cannot communicate easily with strangers, Bondi said.
His mother died as a result of Alzheimer's disease and he watched as she suffered from this disease for nine years.
And, most recently, he said, a small child was lost in his community. "He was wandering around the neighborhood," he said. No parent or adult was in sight and, after 30 minutes of waiting, Bondy said, he and other neighbors joined in a house-to-house search to find the child's caregivers. The police joined in and the boy's mother was found asleep, exhausted from working two jobs and unaware her young son had left the home.
"We had searched for any indication of the boy's identity, and I found myself looking for tags, bracelets, anything," he said. "The next day I created ID button."
In January, Bondy began marketing the ID button, which he donates to all types of agencies who deal with those with cognitive impairments or young children.
He said he seeks sponsorships to pay alterations companies to sew the buttons into the clothing. "This is absolutely free because we find sponsorships," Bondy said.
His latest project is to get the buttons into the clothing of those at group homes, such as Kelly House. There are some state hurdles to clear before the OK is given, but Bondy said he's confident the plan will take place.
These buttons can be particularly useful for group homes, he said, because the residents are taken on trips to various places, such as museums, and to events, and it's easy for them to wander away. The glow-in-the-dark buttons he's proposing would make finding these individuals easier and provide quick ID for anyone who locates a lost individual.
Bondy said security concerns and health privacy issues can be take into account to limit the information, but if the buttons contain information such as a phone number, it could help return a lost individual much more quickly than if authorities have no clue as to the person's identity and where he or she belongs.
He said the glow-in-the dark feature will be particularly useful during a night outing to crowded locations, like a trip to Carowinds.
"That's a perfect place for someone to wander," he said. The button would glow until around midnight, he said.
Bondy said the best thing about the ID button is it is sewn into all of the clothing, meaning it's always with the person, whereas ID bracelets, medical alert bracelets and other forms of identification can be easily lost.
Other than seeking final approval for the ID buttons to go into the group homes such as Kelly House, Bondy is also seeking sponsorships to make it happen when the OK is given. "Sponsorships are wanted and needed," he said. For about $150, he said, the buttons can be sewn into the clothing of a large number of residents of the group homes.
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