Datahr Changes Name to Ability Beyond Disability; New Name to Reflect Who We Are Now.

Business Editors

BROOKFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2003

Datahr Rehabilitation Institute, founded in 1953 by a small group of family members who were seeking day care alternatives for their children, has officially announced its name change to Ability Beyond Disability.

Revealed at its 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration held on February 8, 2003 with over 550 guests in attendance, Roy Young, a member of Datahr's Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, explained the new name.

"On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, I believe it is time to reflect on the true meaning of who we are and to recognize and honor the scope and breadth of what Datahr is today. In our search for a new name, many strong, wonderful words were considered ... words like courage, love, community and independence. But we kept coming back to three words that resonate our beliefs, values and philosophy. The three words are: Ability -- This is something we see and celebrate in every person who comes to us for help. Beyond -- This is the magical word that transports us to our hopes and dreams. Disability -- This is the reality. It is something we all deal with in someway everyday.

"We therefore believe the combination of these three words Ability Beyond Disability provides us with a name that captures our mission and our beliefs," concluded Young.

DATAHR originally stood for Danbury Association to Advance the Handicapped and Retarded. In 1989 the name was changed to Datahr Rehabilitation Institute. Thomas Fanning, President & CEO of the newly named Ability Beyond Disability noted that the name was no longer consistent with who Datahr is or what it does.

"Today, the acronym that Datahr stood for has little meaning and the remainder of our name - Rehabilitation Institute does not fit either. Many today equate rehabilitation with drug and alcohol treatments. Nor are we an Institute. Our mission is to provide community-based services for everyone.

"Our Board of Directors raised the question as to whether we should change our name to better reflect who we are today and what we do. This effort was spearheaded by Roy Young," Fanning explained.

"We spent approximately 4 months, working with employees, family members, the people we serve and professionals to find just the right name. We set criteria - we did not want to limit our geographic reach, we wanted a name that would describe what we did when we said it, and we wanted a name that would be provocative. We identified models that we admired - Save the Children, Toys for Tots, and Habitat for Humanity. We focused on words that meant something to us - and the three words that became our name kept resurfacing," said Fanning.

Ability Beyond Disability (formerly Datahr Rehabilitation Institute) is a 501(c) (3), not for profit organization headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut. It provides a wide range of services for people with disabilities, including numerous residential alternatives, employment training, career counseling, job placement services, cognitive and life skills instructions, clinical and therapeutic supports, and volunteer and recreational activities for approximately 1,000 people at approximately 200 diversified sites. Today, its service extends far beyond the Danbury community and ranges from west of Hartford, CT, throughout Fairfield County, as well as Westchester and Putnam counties in New York.