KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An East Tennessee nonprofit is changing to prioritize helping people with mobility disabilities. Spark, which provides community programming for people with disabilities and which provides assistive technology access, is branding one part of itself into "Spark Mobility."
Spark Mobility focuses on distributing mobility and medical equipment to people who need it, and the nonprofit said it will start offering equipment delivery and pickup services. At the same time, self-pickup and drop-off hours are expanding. People can stop by the Spark building at 116 Childress St. between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, for services.
Spark said its mobility equipment program is its largest endeavor, and is the primary service the nonprofit is known for. Through the program, they provide wheelchairs, scooters, rollators, walkers, canes and crutches. They can also provide hospital beds, bedside toilets, bedrails, Hoyer lifts and incontinence products.
The nonprofit collects donations of used mobility and durable medical equipment from the community to help provide services. It cleans and repairs that equipment before redistributing it to people in need.
It also offers assistive technology for people with vision conditions and helps both seniors and people with low incomes get and understand computers, teaching them how to use the internet. The nonprofit also offers services for organizations that need to improve their websites' accessibility.
Spark has been based in South Knoxville for around a decade and serves 23 counties in total. It was first established in 1988 as the East Tennessee Technology Access Center. It previously provided equipment pro bono, but now requires a minimum donation for each item. However, they said they do not turn away people due to an initial lack of funds.
