Neat-O: Automation System Improves Life of Paralyzed Man
By CE Pro Editors
As seen on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, an automation system makes home more accessible for Brian Keefer, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a gymnastics accident.

For Tom Walker and Mark Jahnigen of Wired Home Automation Services in East Petersburg, Pa., the invitation to contribute to an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition renovation in the nearby Newberry Township amounted to a leap of faith.

“We knew next to nothing about the family until after we committed to the job,” Walker says, “and even then all we knew were the limitations we had to work with.”



The goal was to provide not only a more accessible home for 24-year-old Brian Keefer, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a gymnastics accident shortly before his 21st birthday, but also to give him a bachelor’s pad of sorts.

Walker, Jahnigen and their team only had a week to complete the installation. “We were able to build some racks the week before, and we had sufficient time to plan ahead of construction, be we didn’t have access to any of the pre-fabricated walls for pre-wiring," Walker says. "And we had to adhere to a pretty strict schedule during the week of the project; we were given very specific windows to work in."

An army of volunteers stepped forward to assist in pulling wires through conduits and cleaning up after each day’s work. But even with so much extra help, the pace was hectic, giving the team little time to react to unforeseen surprises.

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