Don Shumway and Rich Crocker with Jennifer McIntosh

Refurbished Equipment Marketplace (REM) Did you know that the equipment not reused in New Hampshire is donated to other organizations? Over the past ten years the REM has sent hundreds of wheelchairs and other mobility aids to developing countries such as Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, and Peru. The next shipment, scheduled for spring 2008, is destined for Liberia. Our partners include: Eleanore's Project: www.eleanoresproject.org Hope Village International of Andover , MN International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC): www.imecamerica.org Joni and Friends' Wheels for the World: www.joniandfriends.org Rotary International: www.rotary.org

GREENFIELD, NH — Donald L. Shumway, president and CEO of Crotched Mountain Foundation and Richard Crocker, executive director of ATECH Services, have announced an affiliation agreement between the two disability organizations. The relationship is the result of months of planning between the leaders of the two non-profit organizations which culminated in the approval by their respective boards and by the Charitable Trusts Division of the Office of the Attorney General.

With operations in Laconia and in Concord , ATECH Services will significantly expand Crotched Mountain 's presence throughout the state by adding 25 assistive technology specialists to its workforce including occupational, physical and speech therapists, educational specialists in the areas of vision and hearing impairments, as well as rehabilitation technicians and administrative personnel.

 

" Crotched Mountain has a statewide reach and is a prominent and respected voice in disability-related issues and policy," Crocker points out. "Assistive technology is under a lot of people's radar. We want it to become more accessible and familiar to New Hampshire residents. We think we can accomplish this with Crotched Mountain ."

"This affiliation creates the largest statewide assistive technology and therapeutic services organization in New Hampshire ," observes Shumway, "with more than a dozen services locations and the capacity to bring the most advanced technology solutions to individuals with disabilities."

Simply put, "assistive technology" is a term referring to a wide variety of products and related services that help people with disabilities to live their lives to the fullest. Examples range from high-tech equipment, such as power wheelchairs and computers that give a voice to people who cannot speak, to simple devices such as shoehorns and flashing lights for someone who cannot hear a doorbell ring.

"ATECH Services' depth of expertise in the areas of clinical evaluation and assistive technologies is unique in the state, continues Crocker. "Many smaller school systems can't afford to hire highly specialized staff for this purpose, and we provide a vital service to them. We want every student to reach their full academic potential." With the state's population steadily aging, Crocker predicts that assistive technology is going to play a bigger role in many older people's lives as well, allowing them remain active and independent for as long as possible.

Since 1991 ATECH Services (www.atechservices.org) has helped more than 20,000 New Hampshire residents affected by disabilities or the aging process in achieving their goals at home, school, work, or play through the provision of assistive technology. Its core operations are:

• NH Vision and Hearing Network (www.nhvhn.org): provides technology evaluations, consultation, professional development, information and referral, equipment, and materials to students who have vision and/or hearing impairments, made possible by funding through the New Hampshire Department of Education.

• Refurbished Equipment Marketplace: an inventory of donated and refurbished durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, mobility aids, hospital beds, bath aids, lift chairs, portable ramps, etc.) sold to persons who find the cost of new technology prohibitive.

• Technology Exploration Center : helps schools and individuals identify computer-based assistive technology solutions through exploration, demonstration, and loan along with on-going training and technical support.

• New Hampshire Assistive Technology Evaluation & Consultation (NH-ATEC), providing specialized evaluations and consultations: wheelchair seating and mobility services; Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services for those who are unable to effectively use speech to express themselves; computer access services for individuals who require special hardware or software to use a computer at home, school or work; home and worksite modification services; and modification and fabrication services to modify commercial products and fabricate equipment not otherwise available.