CHEFA in the Community: Oak Hill/CT Institute for the Blind

As part of our FY 2019 Nonprofit Grant Program CHEFA awarded Oak Hill/CT Institute for the Blind a grant in the amount of $73,947 for medical equipment and facility upgrades for people with disabilities and chronic health issues.

This grant provided needed assistance to a young girl, who has a disability and requires assistive technology and durable medical equipment, in order to access school, doctors’ appointments and join in on her favorite activities. 

The girl’s mother reached out to Oak Hill/CT Institute for the Blind because her daughter outgrew her wheelchair. While she was able to get a new wheelchair through insurance, the COVID-19 guidelines made it too difficult to take her wheelchair back and forth from home to school. The mother wanted to see if it would be possible to purchase another wheelchair they could keep at home and was small enough to fit through their house so her larger, more equipped wheelchair could stay at school. She was looking for a wheelchair that had all the needed supports and a tray table so her daughter would be able to eat and complete activities while in her wheelchair. 

CHEFA’s grant funding provided the resources for Oak Hill/CT Institute for the Blind to get the young girl a refurbished wheelchair and retrofit it to add a tray table. The mother and daughter no longer have to worry about leaving the wheelchair at school and not having one to use at home.

CHEFA is proud to support Oak Hill/CT Institute for the Blind as they achieve their mission of providing Connecticut residents with a disability or chronic health issue to live healthy and productive lives.