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John "Jay" Doherty, OTR/L, ATP
Jay Doherty has been an occupational therapist for ten years. In 1998 Jay was certified as an Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) by RESNA.
Jay has been employed by ATECH Services since 1996 (minus a one year hiatus). Jay provides evaluation & consultation services in the area of Assistive Technology. Program components include seating & wheeled mobility, augmentative & alternative communication, computer access, home modification, aids for daily living, worksite modification, and modification & fabrication services. Jay has lectured at UNH and has presented at local and national events. He also volunteers with Ability Plus teaching adaptive skiing at Gunstock Mountain and Resort.
Jay also worked as a Durable Medical Equipment representative for ADVENT Medical (Hudson, NH) from 6/02 to 9/03, where he assisted consumers in their purchase of Durable Medical Equipment. Prior to his tenure at ATECH Services, Jay worked at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. where he provided therapeutic services for people who had incurred a spinal cord injury.
Julie Irwin, M.S., CCC-SLP, ATP
Julie has been a speech-language pathologist for 20 years, receiving her MS from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also received her ATP (Assistive Technology Practitioner) from RESNA in 2000. Julie has spent the majority of her career in the field of assistive technology but also has practiced is the areas of skilled nursing and community-based services.
Julie has worked for ATECH as an augmentative and alternative communication specialist for a total of thirteen years. She has had extensive experience working with individuals with varying disabilities including but not limited to Cerebral Palsy, Autism, trauma, genetic disorders, developmental disabilities, stroke and neuromotor diseases. Julie has an advanced skill-set related to communication devices, access strategies, mounting and programming. Her clinical expertise has created a demand for her to provide professional development trainings, both locally and nationally, as well as mentor new graduates.
Outside of her professional field, Julie enjoys spending her winter weekends teaching adaptive skiing. She has taught at Loon Mountain and is presently at Gunstock Mountain and Resort.
Robin Tacker MS, OTR/L, ATP
Rob has 18 years of experience in the field of occupational therapy and physical therapy. Rob joined the staff of ATECH Services in 1999, which solidified his commitment to assistive technology.
Rob has worked in rehabilitation facilities, acute care and community service settings. His clinical expertise is in seating and positioning for wheelchair mobility, computer access, augmentative and alternative communication and home access / environmental modification.
Rob has a BS in Health Planning and Administration from the Pennsylvania State University, an MS in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina, and is certified as an Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP). He has presented on assistive technology at both local and national events and been a guest lecturer at UNH for occupational and speech therapy classes.
Sammie Wakefield, OTR/L, ATP
Sammie has 39 years of experience as an occupational therapist and was instrumental in the founding of ATECH Services. She graduated from Berea College in Kentucky and received her Occupational Therapy certification from Texas Women's University. And, in 1998 Sammie was credentialed as an Assistive Technology Practitioner by RESNA.
Sammie's eighteen year concentration in assistive technology includes seating and wheeled mobility, switch technology, home access and fabrication and modification services. These skills were initiated at the Laconia Developmental Center where, for almost ten years, Sammie was the Department Head of the OT Department and the Adaptive Equipment Shop.
Sammie's passion for assistive technology, combined with her extensive experience with people with disabilities, has enabled ATECH Services to grow and develop a program that mirrors standards of excellence recommended by experts in the field.
Throughout her career, Sammie has been a professional resource by lecturing, presenting and volunteering her expertise. She served 11 years as the Delegate from New Hampshire to the Delegate Assembly of the American Occupational Therapy Association. While a Delegate she was elected and served terms as Credentials Review Chair and Agenda Chair. She is now involved with Eleanore's Project, a volunteer group that conducts wheelchair clinics and deliveries of wheelchairs to children and young adults in Peru.
Additionally, Sammie has been a memorable mentor to many therapists who have chosen to specialize in assistive technology.
Phyllis Watson, CCC-SLP
Phyllis Watson is a speech-language pathologist and augmentative communication specialist with more than 25 years of experience working with children, adolescents and adults with a variety of disabilities, in a variety of settings, including early intervention programs, home health, developmental day programs, public schools, hospitals and nursing homes. She has taught courses as an adjunct professor at several universities, including Butler University and Indiana University and guest lectured at several universities including Northwestern, Ball State, Notre Dame and Purdue University. Phyllis has authored a number of therapy support materials. She has presented at local, regional and national conferences on a variety of topics such as communication and language development using augmentative communication devices.
While a consultant for Prentke Romich Company, Phyllis was co-founder of the Minsing choir comprised solely of augmented communicators who were the first in world to sing in 4-part harmony. The choir sang at a national Minspeak conference as well as local conferences throughout the state of IN. The choir was personally invited to sing at the Tenth Annual ADA rally by Indiana Governor O'Bannon's office.
Phyllis joined the ATECH team in 2005 where she provides Augmentative Communication evaluations, consultations and training services.
Michelle Piro, MSPT, ATP
Michelle has been practicing as a Physical Therapist for 22 years. She received her MSPT from Boston University. She is a RESNA certified ATP (Assistive Technology Practitioner) since 1998. She worked for ATECH from 1995-1999, and returned in 2006.
Michelle's experience spans a broad area of physical therapy. However, her clinical expertise is in seating and positioning for wheelchair mobility. She was employed for ten years in Arizona where she worked in many capacities including private practice. While in Arizona, her job took her to the remote areas of Arizona to work with Spanish bilingual communities and native American Indian families. She worked in Assistive Technology for the State of Arizona, which included seating and alternative positioning.
Michelle's teaching career includes; faculty to Pima Community College, Tucson, for the Physical Therapy Assistant Program, adjunct faculty to Notre Dame, Physical Therapy Program, guest lecturer for University of New Hampshire, Occupational Therapy Department, adjunct faculty for Plymouth State University and her own seminar series "Tech Talks", workshops in seating and positioning.
Michelle's international work has taken her to Peru, Romania, and Mexico.
Her passion is working with multi-cultures in a variety of settings.
Heather Gray, M.S., CCC-SLP
Heather Gray has been a speech-language pathologist for almost 5 years. She joined ATECH after earning her Master's degree from UNH in 2003, where she completed an MCH-LEND Traineeship on Leadership Best Practices in Supports For Persons With Significant Disabilities; a graduate internship with the Institute on Disability; and coursework in Augmentative Communication. Additionally, she completed a weeklong Literacy course in AAC, as well as a graduate class at Rivier College in Reading Instruction.
At ATECH, Heather provides evaluation & consultation services in the area of Augmentative Communication and Computer Access. Heather has been a guest lecturer for UNH graduate speech-language pathology classes, and has presented at numerous local events as well as the ASHA Convention in 2007.
Heather took a brief hiatus from ATECH, working at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where therapy included assistive technology/augmentative communication, day rehabilitation and outpatient therapy. She also worked as a school speech-language pathologist from 2004-2005, where her caseload included students using augmentative communication devices in the general education classroom. Heather returned to ATECH in 2006. Her passions include literacy instruction and inclusion for students who use augmentative communication.
Caroline Maynard, M.S., CCC-SLP
Caroline Maynard joined the ATECH team immediately after completing her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2006. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where she was the graduate assistant responsible for providing training on the department's various speech-language software programs.
As an augmentative communication specialist with ATECH, Caroline provides evaluation and consultation services to people of all ages. Like all the AAC specialists at ATECH, Caroline is well-versed in both low and high tech solutions. She is proficient in using the language of (Word Power, UNITY, Gateway) and programming devices from companies such as Dynavox, Prentke Romich, and Assistive Technology Inc.
Since joining ATECH, Caroline has assisted in creating a presentation for the 2007 ASHA convention. She has also been a guest lecturer for UNH graduate speech-language pathology classes.
Lorraine Halton, MA, MPA – Clinical Director
Lorraine has been employed by ATECH Services as Clinical Director since 2001. Lorraine administers NH-ATEC, a program that provides a wide range of assistive technology services to individuals of all ages. The NH-ATECH interdisciplinary team of clinicians assesses complex medical, physical, orthopedic, cognitive and communication needs and recommend assistive technology solutions for home, school, work and play..
Prior to her tenure at ATECH Services, Lorraine was the Director of Sales - Northeast for Mariner Health where she represented products such as institutional pharmacy services, durable medical equipment, oxygen and home health services. Additionally, Lorraine worked in the field of subacute rehabilitation as a marketing representative for programs that provided specialized services to persons who were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, respiratory disease requiring ventilator support or those with a psychiatric illness.
Lorraine began her career in the field of vision rehabilitation and was the Director of Client Services at Visions Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in New York City. During that time she was also a private consultant to the state of NY's Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and was an adjunct instructor at the New York City Technical College training rehabilitation assistants to work with seniors who were blind or visually impaired.
Lorraine received her Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Services from Boston College and her Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College of the City University of NY.
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