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It may not happen every day that REquipment has exactly what someone needs when they need it. But we hear it often enough to put wind beneath our wings. Hopefully, this story will inspire you, too. It’s about the power of reuse and the REquipment community to change lives. Working together, we can take action to keep this kind of magic possible in the Commonwealth.

In March, a mom requested a walker from REquipment after learning that the pediatric equipment clinic would be unable to evaluate her two-year-old daughter for six months.

The evaluation, of course, would be just the start of the paperwork. The family’s insurance would then undergo its authorization process.

Routine healthcare bottlenecks and insurance procedures would mean that her daughter, “Sara,” would not have this walker in time for the start of preschool in the fall. Months of essential gross motor and cognitive development would be delayed for lack of a small posterior walker.

Happily, REquipment disrupts business as usual in healthcare. Massachusetts residents see what they need on our program website, request it, and receive it for free. No insurance or prescription necessary.

In this case, Sara benefited from the serendipity made possible by our community of REquipment program users. Thanks to this community, our inventory had exactly what Early Intervention knew Sara needed, and thanks to our crackerjack staff, she got it in time. Sara had the small posterior walker in three days.

Sara’s mom says she moved from cruising to walking quickly, and three months in, she is having a complete blast with that walker. Sara’s teachers will be chasing after her in the classroom, a good thing. Independent mobility means empowered curiosity, greater spatial awareness, problem-solving, and self-confidence. Sara is off to a solid start.

This kind of timely intervention is the very basis for the value of Early Intervention services. However, it takes a village to accomplish. Even a village of programs all shaking hands with one another.

There’s much more to Sara’s story, and we will share it in the coming weeks. For now, how do we keep these successes rolling?

The answer is we share our successes with the Joint Conference Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature. And we do it NOW.

The Conference Committee is about to decide the fate of the REquipment program’s funding. At stake is $500,000, along with earmarking for the REquipment Durable Medical Equipment and Assistive Technology Program, Inc.

If the Joint Conference Committee does not support the Senate’s budget recommendation and agrees with the House’s (which falls short), the program will be devastated. These funds support the bones of the program: staff salaries, gas for vans, drop-off sites, and more.

Please contact your state lawmakers and ask them to support REquipment in the FY2026 budget by advocating for the program with the Conference Committee members. Your message is especially urgent if you live in a community represented by a member of the Conference Committee.

They are:

Constituents from the Fall River area –
Senator Michael J. Rodrigues
Senate Ways and Means Chair
Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov
Phone: (617) 722-1114

For Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester –
Senator Joanne M. Comerford
Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov
Phone: (617) 722-1532

For Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwood, Scituate, Weymouth, Cohasset –
Senator Patrick M. O’Connor
Assistant Minority Leader
Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov
Phone: (617) 722-1646

For Downtown Boston –
Representative Aaron Michlewitz
House Ways and Means Chair
Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov
Phone: (617) 722-2990

For Essex, Manchester by the Sea, Gloucester –
Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante
Ann-Margaret.Ferrante@mahouse.gov
Phone: (617) 722-2380

For Brimfield, Holland, Wales, Ware, Sturbridge, Warren –
Representative Todd M. Smola
Todd.Smola@mahouse.gov
Phone: (617) 722-2100

Find my state legislators

Here is a template for what you might say or write:

“I’m [calling Senator NAME or Representative NAME] to urge them to please advocate with the Conference Committee to include the Senate budget’s $500,000 earmark and funding to the REquipment Durable Medical Equipment and Assistive Technology Reuse Program, Inc..

“DME and AT reuse are critically important to the well-being of people with disabilities, seniors, children, and families across Massachusetts, and they support the planet. Please help prevent this devastating cut. We can’t afford a $500,000 cut to DME/AT reuse. Line item 4120-4000 needs $14,827,398 to be fully funded.

“I know how important this program is… [provide a story of your own if you have one.] Thank you for your advocacy for REquipment, Inc.”

An easy way to take action is to use the Disability Policy Consortium’s Action Center. There, you simply enter your address and customize an auto-generated email that can be sent automatically to each of your state legislators, as well as the six members of the Conference Committee.

Thank you for taking action. Thank you for making more success stories like Sara’s possible. REquipment is your program.

Acting together, we can keep it.

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If you’ve been following REquipment, Inc. on social media, you are probably aware that it’s been another nail-biter budget season for the program with the state legislature.

The House budget bill released on April 31st did not include our $500,000 earmark that keeps the program whole, and Rep. Domb’s amendment to restore the funds was not adopted, despite achieving 31 co-sponsors.

Then, on May 7th, the Senate budget proposal also failed to include the $500,000 earmark for REquipment Inc.

The pressure mounted. Unless the Senate passed an amendment adding back REquipment Inc.’s $500,000, it would be the end of the road for the reuse program as we know it. It is unclear how REquipment can move forward without the $500K that supports staff, drivers, vans, and equipment.

On May 12th, however, Senator Michael Brady sponsored Amendment 568, and with another advocacy push from REquipment program champions across the state, Amendment 568 passed on May 20th.

Hoo-ray! This means REquipment is still in the running.

If you made a call, sent an email, and especially if you are a state senator who signed on to co-sponsor Amendment 568, thank you.

And if you are a constituent of a Senate sponsor or co-sponsor of Amendment 568, please take a moment to call their office and express your gratitude. They are: Senators Michael Brady, Rebecca Rausch,  Paul Mark, Bruce Tarr, Jacob Oliveira, James Eldridge, Pavel Payano, Dylan Fernandes, Patrick O’Connor, and John Velis. (Find their contact information here: Legislators)

These calls and emails matter. Your advocacy makes the difference in whether valuable, durable medical equipment and assistive technology will continue to be available without insurance hoops or hurdles in Massachusetts.

And the impact of your efforts is undeniable.

On the day the Senate budget proposal was released, REquipment received satisfaction surveys from 15 consumers spread across the state, and nearly all took the time to write a note of thanks.

“What a fantastic program. We can’t wait to give back.” – Charlestown, MA

“The process was easy and helped my family get a transfer wheelchair for my brother. I would highly recommend this [..]” – Sharon, MA

“Loved your service” – Springfield, MA

“very grateful” – Hyde Park, MA

“You are AMAZING! Thank you so much for the work you do.[…]” – Norwood, MA

“Excellent service. Received wheelchair for my daughter faster than expected. Great condition. Thank you.” – Brockton, MA

“The people who helped me get equipment for my mother were kind, courteous, and attentive to her needs.” – Greenfield, MA

“I was so appreciative that I was able to get this wheelchair that was much safer for my Dad.” – Marlborough, MA

“This is a wonderful service and I am so grateful!” – Arlington, MA

“Someone named Elijah went above and beyond,” – Williamsburgh, MA

“Brian the delivery driver was excellent and extremely friendly and helpful.” – Granville, MA

“You are the best, and I’m so glad my daughter told me about you. I have been on your page weekly to see if you have something I need or others I know” – Framingham, MA

[All of these, and more, were received by the program on May 7th, 2025.]

You did this. Your device and dollar donations. Your referrals. Your advocacy. The members of the REquipment community are looking out for one another.

Stay tuned. The budget’s next stop is with the Conference Committee. This is where the differences between the House and Senate proposals are hammered out. Expect more information from us in the coming days.

Thank you for everything you do!

Two days ago, we were surprised by an email from a REquipment program user. Jennifer Bruni let us know she’d contacted her state representative about co-signing the House budget amendment to prevent a deep cut to REquipment. She’d convinced Rep Tommy Vitolo to sign on. (Thank you Rep. Vitolo!)

Ordinarily, when you call your state rep’s office, you don’t get to talk to your lawmaker. Instead, a staff member will note the purpose of your call and share the message with your legislator.

But Jennifer clearly knows Rep. Vitolo.

“He said it was a ‘big ask’ but I showed him your website and talked about my son Sandro (who Tommy knew very well) and how Sandro benefited from REquipment.”

On the Massachusetts legislature’s website, we saw that Rep. Vitolo was, indeed, Amendment 1015’s third co-sponsor. Seriously impressed, we thanked her and asked if we could share her success on social media.

“Yes,” she wrote back, “of course you can! [And here is] Sandro’s obituary just as an FYI, so you know the person you helped.”

That stopped us in our tracks.

We saw she’d written that Tommy Vitolo “knew” Sandro, not “knows” him.

Sandro, it turns out, was her beautiful son who died last month at age 23 from cancer.

REquipment had provided him with a stander and a shower chair.

Alessandro’s story reminds us how precious life is and the importance of holding loved ones close.

“He was extremely loving and fiercely loyal to his family and friends,” his obituary tells us. “His sharp intelligence, playful sense of humor, kind and generous spirit, bone-crushing hugs, and handsome face will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”

Alessandro’s obituary makes it easy to see why his mom picked up the phone to advocate for the REquipment program.

“As if fighting a deadly cancer wasn’t enough, Sandro’s multiple surgeries caused him to become paralyzed from the chest down. He underwent six weeks of radiation, followed by months of daily chemotherapy, all without complaint.

“Over the past year and a half, Sandro faced overwhelming obstacles with the determination and courage that defined him as an athlete. Sandro regretted not being able to advocate more for the disabled community. He certainly raised our awareness of the daily difficulties and indignities that people with disabilities face.”

REquipment exists to help ease the difficulties experienced by individuals with disabilities and families like the Brunis. And REquipment exists because of the love, trust, and care shared in this community.

Someone (perhaps reading this) donated an EasyStand Evolv Stander, and someone else donated a rolling shower chair. Perhaps they’d lost loved ones, too, and wanted their equipment to have a second life to help someone else. In this case, that person was Sandro.

REquipment has the honor of introducing you to one another.

Let’s ensure that more families like the Brunis can avoid insurance hoops and hassles when they most need to spend quality time together.

Please call your state representative and ask them to help co-sign Amendment #1015. Help prevent a devastating $500,000 cut to the REquipment program. (Learn how and more about this proposed cut.)

 

If you follow REquipment on Facebook or Instagram, you know we’ve been celebrating #TestimonialTuesday for a while now. This is an opportunity for the program to share shoutouts from the REquipment community about how the program has made life a bit easier.

For as long as the program has been running, we’ve shared stories and quotes from program users in our annual reports and this blog. Please know that the staff works hard to earn them. No one takes your thanks and support for granted.

But they boost days spent answering the phones and navigating urgent needs REquipment cannot always solve.

In the past, these testimonials have come from calls and emails and in-person at pickups and dropoffs. Lately, however, and much to the boon of the program, they are gleaned from satisfaction surveys.

This is because we’ve created a new online form to receive your ratings and sent out the call to gather those cards. Our largest funder, MassAbility, requires us to collect “satisfaction” data, which the agency, in turn, needs for its federal reporting purposes. We have to show results not only in the numbers of people served but also in the satisfaction of program users. And if we fall short, we want to know why and have an opportunity to make it right or clarify our program policies.

Have you completed the satisfaction survey for equipment provided by the program? The form asks three simple questions and has an optional comments box. Another option is the hardcopy postcard we provide with delivered devices.

We are working to improve the response rate of those surveys. If you know your request ID number, it takes just a moment to check off those boxes. If you use the link to the survey we emailed you, that request ID number will already be filled out on the form.

Your feedback is so helpful. And it means the world to the REquipment program’s hardworking staff.

If you’ve called REquipment in the afternoon, you’ve probably spoken to Elijah Tucker. Elijah came on board in October as Equipment Intake Coordinator, the position responsible for processing donation requests and answering our general phone line each afternoon.

Elijah arrived with a wealth of unique skills and experiences. We are delighted to share this interview so the REquipment community can better get to know Elijah.

REQ: Tell us a little about yourself. Are you originally from Massachusetts? How did you come to work for REquipment?

ET: Yes, I was born and raised in Massachusetts and attended Fitchburg State. I wanted to work for REquipment because the mission is so important. Growing up with cerebral palsy, I experienced barriers to getting affordable DME and AT firsthand. So, playing a part in this mission is amazing. Also, I was looking for a change in employment to something more conducive to my body’s needs. Before this, I was doing food prep for a caterer. Now I don’t have to stand for half a day and can work from home.

What’s it been like to answer the phones for us? Any surprises?

Most people are so grateful we exist. And I’ve had different people tell me how helpful we’ve been, and their stories really bring me joy. That’s mostly what it’s like. But because of my speech, I’ve also been called not nice things, including the R-word. Thankfully, those callers are few and far between.

That’s horrible.

And ignorant. Then there are the well-meaning people who say they’ll pray for me to “get better” or “heal.” But cerebral palsy is not an illness.

It sounds like people can make a lot of assumptions when they hear your voice.

Callers are mostly really nice. However, people often assume I have an intellectual disability because my speech is different. And some are patronizing. The other day, a man kept calling me “Honey.”

How did you learn about the job opening with REquipment?

I’ve worked with Adriana [REquipment’s CEO] in the past, and she let me know there was an opening here. Before Covid, I worked for her assistive technology startup, Puffin Innovations, Inc.

That doesn’t sound like food prep.

Well, I have a BS in computer science, and I did my thesis on Artificial Intelligence for Disability. At Puffin, I helped develop technology to anticipate and respond to a person’s needs. That work began when I was introduced to Adriana at MassChallenge through a professor I’d had at Fitchburg State. They knew I’d been having trouble getting hired after I graduated and introduced me to Adriana. Unfortunately, Puffin took a hit during Covid.

And now you’re doing more for REquipment than the job requires …

I’ve been helping out with website management, accessibility, and design. I had built the Puffin, Inc. website. It feels good to give back here and use my skills while I’m in school.

You’re in grad school?

I’m getting my masters in data science.

Welcome to REquipment, Elijah. We’re so glad to have you on our team.

Do you know a student interested in assistive technology (AT) and durable medical equipment (DME) reuse?

REquipment is now accepting applications for the Jennifer Baker Memorial Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship honors our late program director, Jennifer Baker, who prized lifelong learning.

Our scholarship supports a student pursuing a course of study related to assistive technology and durable medical equipment who values reuse to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and older adults.

The successful candidate will be enrolled in a degree or certificate program in occupational therapy, physical therapy, adaptive technology, or a similar field. Applicants enrolled or accepted to a college or university in Massachusetts or Connecticut will be given preference, as that is where Jennifer Baker lived and worked.

The 2025-26 academic year application process closes on April 1st, 2025.

Spread the word!

Jennifer Baker Memorial Scholarship Online Application.

REquipment’s success stories are rolling, one to the next (or, in this case, skating).

Our last post featured Cashen, a little boy who is the proud owner of a new-to-him Aero Z lightweight manual wheelchair from REquipment. This post features Cashen’s friend Hazel and her Rifton gait trainer.

With her mom’s help, Hazel is making excellent and creative use of our program.

We learned Hazel’s REquipment story when her mom, Liz, shared Cashen’s on her Facebook page.

“Hazey’s friend Cashen got some cool wheels! So thankful for this program. Hazel got a bath seat and a gait trainer after she was denied by insurance. Apparently, you need to know how to walk to be approved for a gait trainer.”

Needless to say, we are so happy to make such a big difference for Hazel.

Liz’s experience with insurance denial is all too common.  These are the crazy hoops and hurdles REquipment was designed to avoid. Insurance providers ask families to prove a child can benefit from equipment before they will provide it. Families must somehow get their hands on the equipment they are applying for and document their child’s developmental benefit. The process can take months. And by the time the equipment arrives, the child may need something else.

Liz plans to donate Hazel’s gait trainer back to REquipment when she outgrows it. By paying it forward in this way, that piece of equipment will make a developmental difference to another child.

In the meantime, she and Hazel are having a blast using it in creative ways.

After we spied this picture of Hazel ice skating on Facebook, we wanted to know more.

REQ: What was it like obtaining equipment from us?

Liz: Oh, it was so easy! I had no idea it would be so easy and that it’s just $20 for delivery!

REQ: What has the bath seat made possible for Hazel?

Liz: Before, I was bending over and trying to hold her in the tub, and she’d be moving all around, a wiggly worm. It’s so much simpler to have her sitting in a seat and be able to save my back. Also, she loves it.

REQ: Please do tell us the story of the skating rink.

Liz: We just started doing an adapted skating program. It’s called Special Skates through Reading Recreation Dept., and they have participants with a range of disabilities but limited experience with physical disabilities. So, they were happy to have her come with the gait trainer. Well, the skates added two inches of height, and she’s getting close to being too big for the gait trainer anyway. So, the following week, I looked around the house to figure out how to make it so she could stand up. I used little Tupperware containers with cardboard inside.

REQ: So that’s what’s under those wheels!

Liz: Yeah. And the volunteers twirl her around. She loves it. Volunteers pair up with all the kids. The boys and girls Reading hockey teams and the skating club all volunteer, and it’s so nice. All the kids, including these high school kids, just want to be there.

REQ: How did you learn about REquipment?

Liz: A woman who works at Perkins told me. She has a daughter who has had equipment from REquipment. I’ll put you in touch with her.

REQ: Thank you! It’s such fun to have these stories snowballing.

Do you use your REquiment device in a creative way? We'd love your story and picture, too. Email outreach @ diligent-gray-hare.162-244-253-142.cpanel.site/

As children grow and develop, REquipment helps families keep up.

When Cashen was two years old, he was evaluated for the equipment he would need while learning and living with multiple disabilities. At the time, he required head and trunk support. It was also assumed he’d take the bus when he was school-aged. As a result, he was provided a large, heavy, specialized stroller equipped to secure him.

Towards the end of the pandemic, however, he was going to PT. “And suddenly,” his mom, Katie, explaines, “he could sit up and walk short distances.” He no longer needed the trunk and head support, and because his school placement was so close to home, Katie took him to school in his car seat, anyway.

Cashen needed something developmentally appropriate, and Katie needed something she could travel with.

“It doesn’t even fit in our car.”

As a mom and special educator, Katie knew MassHealth wouldn’t replace the stroller. Technically, it still fit Cashen. Also, it had taken many months to get, and the process to replace it was daunting.

Finally, last spring, the issue hit a boiling point. “We were headed on vacation, and I couldn’t manage that stroller with all his other equipment.”

Luckily, she’d heard of REquipment.

REquipment provides free, gently used, durable medical equipment and assistive technology to anyone in Massachusetts who requests it. Delivery is available for just $20. (“Which is amazing,” notes Katie.)

In the online inventory, Katie spotted the perfect wheelchair for Cashen. “It was his size and fit and lightweight. I can even lift it with one arm.”

Cashen received a beautiful pediatric Aero Z.

“We took it to South Carolina and back. Through all the airports.”

Now, it goes everywhere with them.

“It fits inside my car. It gets him into the community. A lot of places don’t allow strollers, but they accept wheelchairs.

Cashen can even enjoy self-propelling in flat areas.

“Thank you for all that you do,” Katie wrote to us. “Your organization is absolutely amazing.”

Good news! We are clarifying our equipment condition ratings.

As most of you know, REquipment refurbishes donated durable medical equipment and assistive technology and provides it for free in our online inventory. For years, our “fair” rating has been an obstacle for some of our program users.

What is the difference between “fair,” “good,” and “excellent?”

That’s a good question. Even excellent. (See? What’s the difference?)

Soon, here is what you’ll find in REquipment inventory listings:

Good
The equipment is in good working order, cleaned, sanitized, and shows ordinary signs of use. If there are additional signs of wear, these cosmetic details are noted in the device description.

Excellent
The equipment shows little or no signs of normal wear and tear. It is in “nearly new” condition.

New/Never Used
The equipment arrived with tags still on or “new in box.” To our knowledge, it has not been used.

Remember that REquipment is not Ebay. Our non-profit organization keeps valuable serviceable equipment out of landfills and off curbsides. Everything we post at REquipment is in good working order.

Sadly, we do dispose of donations that do not meet our standards. We try not to approve these donations, but sometimes we collect equipment and immediately take it to solid waste. Your health, safety, and trust are too important.

Of course, it can be unappealing to select visibly used equipment, especially for a child or senior. We do our best to post photos of the equipment from different angles and accommodate further inquiries about a device’s condition as necessary.

We also never encourage consumers to take used equipment instead of applying for the new equipment they may be eligible for from insurance. REquipment devices will not last as long as new equipment.

Program users, especially clinicians contacting the program on behalf of their clients, should apply for new equipment and use REquipment devices while waiting to receive it (or when waiting for a repair). Once the new device arrives, consider keeping the REquipment device as a backup or for use in another environment. These are not “loaners.” They are yours to keep, and we understand the need for multiple devices.

Donate the equipment back to REquipment for use by someone else if it’s still in good condition, with no rips or tears, and only if you no longer need or use it.

Thank you for your trust, generosity, and understanding.

 

 

 

We know that many donated items have a story. We know that people often donate devices they can’t bear to throw away so that the equipment can serve someone else and have a second life. We also know that assistive technology (AT) of all kinds can become an extension of a person and their personality—for example, Winston Churchill with his cane.

This is on my mind today for two reasons: 1) REquipment is temporarily closed to donations of durable medical equipment due to a lack of storage space, and 2) while browsing our online inventory, I ran across my father’s pocket magnifier.

It’s not, technically, the one he used, but it might as well be. Looking at that image in our online inventory, I remember how it had a convex glass that slid out with a smooth hand motion he’d repeat throughout the day and how it warmed in his pocket. I can feel the leather-like cover’s texture and recognize the finish’s wear around its edge. I imagine it was donated by someone grateful to have a meaningful way to avoid putting it in the trash. The previous owner must have carried this one in a pocket for years, as my father did.

We know the difficulty closing our doors to donations causes our REquipment community, but fear not. We will accept them again, as we did last time, because we will give away equipment and make room.

Also, we will still take your magnifiers! We are closed only to donations of durable medical equipment.

If you have an item we cannot currently take, another option is to find a local reuse program, such as a Council on Aging loan closet. Check out our Reuse Resources List on our website, which lists additional reuse programs in Massachusetts.

If you can’t find another program, you can also hold off and wait for us to reopen sometime this winter.

My dad was a painter. He’d whip out his magnifier to study art catalogs. Eventually, because of his macular degeneration, he needed a desktop CCTV device that he kept in his studio (until that did him no good). He kept painting through all of it. At the end of his life, his CCTV was filthy and paint-speckled.

DME and AT are often not just made of metal, glass, and plastic. We understand.

If you’d like to browse free magnifiers, check out our Vision category online. These items are best requested as you select a larger piece of equipment so we can deliver them together for the same $20 delivery fee. Otherwise, AT items can be picked up free (or mailed for $20).

Happy browsing!
– Eliza Anderson, REquipment Staff Editor