The future of care is being rewritten, and Tech Equity: Freedom Through Enabling Technology: A Dream Officer’s Playbook for Tech Equity in Disability and Aging Services arrives at the perfect moment. Written by Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown, the book introduces a powerful shift in how society can approach independence, dignity, and support.
Recognized as the first comprehensive operational playbook in this space, the book invites readers to rethink what care truly means in a world shaped by rapid technological change.
Moving Beyond Outdated Care Models
For years, disability and aging services have relied on systems designed long before the digital era. These frameworks often focused on compliance, leaving little room for personal choice or cultural identity. Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown challenges this long-standing approach with clarity and purpose.
“Preciosa” explains that enabling technology should never be viewed as a collection of disconnected devices. Instead, she presents it as a cohesive ecosystem that supports freedom, privacy, and connection. This perspective feels both timely and necessary, especially as care systems struggle to meet modern expectations.
Her argument is rooted in real-world experience. She highlights how individuals can reclaim control over their lives when technology is integrated thoughtfully.
This shift in thinking forms the backbone of the book. It encourages readers to move away from restrictive systems and toward solutions that prioritize human experience.
Frameworks That Bring Clarity and Action
One of the most valuable aspects of the book is its practical structure. Drawing from decades of leadership, “Preciosa” introduces four distinct frameworks that guide readers through meaningful transformation.
The Enabled Life Model™ focuses on creating lives that balance safety, freedom, and connection. It encourages a broader understanding of well-being, moving beyond basic care requirements. The Tech Equity Triangle™ provides a strategic lens for policymakers and organizations, helping them align access, safety, and liberation.
The Seven Freedoms of ET™ explores the idea of dignity in greater depth. It emphasizes that safety does not require constant oversight, and it encourages systems that respect personal boundaries. The Ritmo Framework™ adds cultural awareness to the conversation, ensuring that solutions remain inclusive and adaptable.
Each framework is presented in a way that feels accessible. Whether someone works in policy, direct support, or family caregiving, the ideas can be applied immediately. This practical focus turns the book into a guide that readers can actively use rather than simply reflect on.
A Career That Shapes a Vision
The strength of the book reflects the depth of its author’s journey. Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown has spent nearly four decades working in disability and aging services, building a reputation as a leader and innovator.
As the Chief Innovation and Dream Officer of Vista Supports, LLC, “Preciosa” leads a groundbreaking organization dedicated to enabling technology and remote supports. Her work focuses on strengthening providers, supporting caregivers, and helping governments modernize their systems responsibly.
Her influence extends beyond operations. She played a key role in introducing remote support solutions in the Washington, DC area and helped develop the city’s first smart home for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her work with advanced technologies has demonstrated how innovation can directly improve quality of life.
In addition to her leadership roles, “Preciosa” contributes to research, policy discussions, and industry boards. Her insights are shaped by both hands-on experience and strategic thinking, giving her perspective a strong and credible foundation.
Why It Matters
The challenges facing the care industry today are impossible to ignore. Workforce shortages continue to grow, while individuals and families seek more personalized and flexible support. Traditional approaches are no longer enough to meet these demands.
“Preciosa” addresses these issues by introducing hybrid workforce models that combine human expertise with enabling technology. These models create systems that are both sustainable and responsive, supporting professionals while expanding the reach of care services.
The book also highlights the importance of inclusion. It recognizes the diverse needs of communities, including Deaf individuals and aging populations, and ensures that solutions reflect these realities. By addressing cultural and systemic barriers, it offers a more complete vision of equity.
At its core, Tech Equity presents a clear message. Technology, when used with intention, can become a powerful ally in creating freedom and dignity for all.
Closing Reflections
Tech Equity: Freedom Through Enabling Technology stands as a meaningful contribution to the future of care. Through her thoughtful approach, “Preciosa” provides readers with the tools and perspective needed to build systems that truly support independence, making this book essential for anyone invested in lasting change.
Beyond the Device: A Conversation with Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown, The Voice of Enabling Technology™
We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Hi, thank you so much for joining us today! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
I am Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown, known professionally as The Voice of Enabling Technology™ and the Chief Innovation and Dream Officer of Vista Supports, LLC, House of CINO, and WATI Institute™. I am an author, keynote speaker, Transformation Strategist, and Dream Technologist, and the first woman of color to found a full-service enabling technology and remote support company in the United States dedicated to IDD and aging services. Vista Supports operates as a provider of providers, building provider capacity, addressing caregiver needs, and supporting governments in modernizing care responsibly. I am also the author of Tech Equity: Freedom Through Enabling Technology, the first comprehensive operational playbook of its kind in this space.
Please tell us about your journey.
My journey started at the YMCA, helping people with disabilities learn to get into a pool. For many of them, it was the first time they had experienced that kind of freedom from their wheelchairs. That stayed with me. I later became a Direct Support Professional while I was in college, and that is where I came to understand just how much a DSP is expected to know and do. Some of it is possible. Some of it is actually impossible. And some of it is subjective. When I look at DSPs today, I look at them from that place. I know what it feels like to be hyper-focused on requirements to the point where the interpersonal relationship — the part that matters most to the person being supported — starts to disappear. What I have always believed is that technology done right allows us to right-size support. A DSP should not be inserted into 100% of someone’s life, whether they are needed in that space or not. People with disabilities and seniors deserve support that fits their actual lives. That belief is what has driven everything I have built.
What inspired you to write this playbook?
My grandmother, Francena Brown Hicks, was a spitfire who left the segregated South to give me options. As she aged, she made me promise not to let the system take her freedom. I realized then that people are not afraid of aging — they are afraid of losing power, dignity, and choice. I wrote this book because we are still trying to squeeze modern expectations into care frameworks and regulations written in 1988, before the internet even existed.
You emphasize that technology should not replace human staff. How do they work together?
Technology does not replace human care — it expands it. We have a massive workforce crisis where Direct Support Professionals are exhausted, sometimes working 48-hour shifts. Smart supports like touchless radar monitoring and remote alerts handle continuous monitoring so staff can handle the human connection. It moves us from constant, intrusive supervision to connected independence, which actually protects our workforce from impossible expectations and burnout.
What is the Dean Martin Principle you describe in the book?
It highlights why generic technology fails in human care. I once supported a woman whose trigger word for needing comfort was Dean Martin, because her grandmother used to play his records to calm her down. A generic AI would hear that and pull up his Wikipedia page, missing her meaning entirely. Technology must be programmed to honor personal meaning, cultural identity, and context. That is what true tech equity requires.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
I never lost sight of the dream. That word is intentional — there is a whole story behind why Dream Officer is in my title. I work hard so that when someone finally wakes up, that dream is their reality. That has been my north star through everything.
In practice, that means I never stopped listening. Listening to what the person actually wants, not what the system decided they need. Always looking for ways to remove hand-over-hand support, to give people ways to communicate their needs even when they cannot articulate them, to make sure the solution we build today evolves as they evolve. We were never meant to have a one-and-done approach to supporting someone. The whole premise of home and community-based services is that people can grow, learn new skills, and maintain what they have. Technology is how we honor that premise instead of abandoning it.
I also built this to invest in the future of care — one that we will all benefit from. And I want young people to know that this field needs them. Human services, IDD, aging — this is not an outdated system that does not align with your reality. We say think innovatively now because we have been working inside an outdated model. But sooner than later we will simply operate within innovation. It is not a department. It is a lifestyle.
Any message for our readers?
The care system we are working inside was built in the 80s, way before we had any of the tools available to us today. While it might be cool to find a pager from that era and hold it in your hand, you would spend years looking for the payphone you need to go along with it. We honor and celebrate what we were able to do with what we had. And now we have to push forward.
If you serve people with disabilities or older adults, you have both a responsibility and an opportunity to use enabling technology to honor human dignity the way it was always meant to be honored. And if you are a family member, a caregiver, or someone navigating this system yourself — know that freedom through technology is real, and there are people fighting to make it accessible. This book is your starting point.
Thank you so much, Precious “Preciosa” Myers-Brown, for giving us your valuable time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!