New Hampshire
SupportNet at Crotched Mountain
Type of Grant: TOP
Amount of Grant: $240,000
Non-Federal Support: $246,251
Date of Grant: October 2001-October 2003
Project Partners: Nassua, Kearsarge and Londonderry School Districts, North Country Education Foundation, New Hampshire Public Television
Contact: Phil Girard
Phone: (603) 547-3311, ex 251
Email: girard@cmf.org
In New Hampshire, more than 15,000 children with developmental disabilities require specialized care to meet their daily living, educational and medical needs. A limited number of physicians, therapists and other professionals are available to these children, especially in the state's many isolated rural areas. Through TOP funding, SupportNet, a program of the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, is providing rural and urban school districts with video conferencing equipment that provides children with special needs as well as their teachers and parents with additional help such as distance learning, speech therapy, and access to developmental pediatricians.
The video conferencing technology is also benefiting children who live at the Crotched Mountain facility. One child who must use a communication board because of his disability was only able to communicate to his father over the phone through his counselor. The new technology now enables his father to watch him construct sentences via video conferencing, making it a much more personal interaction.
Crotched Mountain hopes to extend its resources throughout New Hampshire through the development of a dedicated video-conferencing connection. End users will interact directly with Crotched Mountain staff, who will provide consultation, evaluation, and training to community partners and families of children with disabilities. The system will also allow for more evaluation and follow-up for children with special needs.
