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New tech lab in Hurleyville

Center for Discovery still innovating

Patricio Robayo - Staff Writer
Posted 1/14/19

HURLEYVILLE — After more than 30 years, The Center for Discovery (TCFD) is still pushing the boundaries of technology to help people with disabilities and complex conditions.

A new technology …

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New tech lab in Hurleyville

Center for Discovery still innovating

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HURLEYVILLE — After more than 30 years, The Center for Discovery (TCFD) is still pushing the boundaries of technology to help people with disabilities and complex conditions.

A new technology lab has officially opened at the TCFD's Technology Hub and Incubator (THINC) on January 10 in Hurleyville. The sole purpose of this lab is to develop new ways to help people with a wide range of conditions.

With funding provided by America Portfolios (AP), TCFD has agreed to enter into a five-year funding commitment for $500,000 with AP to establish and operate The American Portfolios Assistive Technology Lab.

“The official opening of the The American Portfolios Assistive Technology Lab brings us one step closer to being able to transform lives not just here but everywhere,” said Patrick Dollard, president and CEO of TFCD.

The lab helps turn ideas and products to help people with an array of conditions overcome their limited mobility and interact more easily with the world around them.

“The lab is so important to me,” said American Portfolios CEO Lon Dolber. “You sometimes have to develop devices to get individuals out to the woods, to get them on a bike, to get them on a kayak, so this was the perfect partnership for me, to put resources into the lab.”

Based out of Holbrook, N.Y., America Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS) is a full service, independent broker/dealer who provides a range of financial services.

Since 2010, Dolber served as the driving force behind the Adventure Team Challenge. Working with World T.E.A.M—an organization that holds athletic events for adaptive and able-bodied citizens—residents from TCFD groups partook in a series of athletic recreational and outdoor experiences to provide a sense of achievement and teamwork.

“Giving back to the community continues to be a major focus for us. I firmly believe that companies have an obligation to be socially responsible and to share that mission with their employees and their clients,” said Dolber.

THINC will now house five distinct labs: The America Portfolios Assistive Technology Lab, the Walter and Vera Scherr Maker's Lab, the Discovery Lab, a Digitial Design Lab and a Digital Media Lab.

As reported by the Democrat back in September 2018, one innovation that will soon hit the market—that was created in Hurleyville—is the indieGo. This device converts a manual wheelchair into a motorized wheelchair at a low cost to the consumer.

The 45-pound attachment can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of wheelchairs and make them motorized. All one has to do is to wheel into the indieGo system, lock the wheels, pull down the joystick and the person is ready to go.

One of the benefits of using indieGo for the consumer is that a person no longer has to spend large amounts of money to get a motorized wheelchair.

The wheel-chair system can be folded down and put into the trunk of a car and will cost approximately $2,500.

One of the goals of THINC is to help create products that will not only help locally, but that will have a far-reaching influence outside of Sullivan County.

“Center for Discovery has always been ahead of the curve,” said Jason Kean, Director of Innovation at The Center for Discovery. “We can put people together in this space to solve real problems, problems faced by the individuals we serve and the communities at large. Because what happens here matters everywhere.”

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