CONCORD, NH – Timothy Hindman, the coordinator of Blind and Visually Impaired Services for NH Vocational Rehabilitation, was the recipient recently of a prestigious award from the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired during an awards event in in Reno, NV.
The AER Professional Awards pay tribute to individuals and organizations that have played an important role in the profession of serving those that are blind and visually impaired, according to the organization. Hindman won the John H. McAulay Award for 2018 for his nearly three decades of service in the vision rehabilitation sector.
The McAulay Award was established to honor professionals that have contributed “outstanding efforts and achievements leading to the placement of people with visual impairments in productive employment,” the organization noted.
McAulay, who was blind himself, is considered a pioneer in the field. While working for the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare during the 1940s and 1950s, before he passed away in 1958, he toured industrial plants and identified jobs that could be filled by blind individuals. McAulay was also an author and trainer of others that worked in rehabilitation.
Along with working at NH Vocational Rehabilitation, Hindman has also taught visually impaired children, provided counseling and training to low vision work-age adults as well as the elderly. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University in clinical rehabilitation.
His colleagues at NH Vocational Rehabilitation congratulated him for all of his hard work and a well-deserved honor.
“Since Tim came to our agency many years ago, he has been a truly valuable team member to Blind Services, the Older Blind Independent Living program, and in general, to our agency,” said Lisa K. Hinson-Hatz, the state director of NH Vocational Rehabilitation. “I am glad he is being recognized for his hard work.”
William Finn, the administrator of the Offices of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired, agreed.
“Tim is a strong member of the Services for Blind and Visually Impaired team and the Department of Education,” he stated. “He brings to his work great expertise in the education, employment and independent living of people who have visual impairments. We are all proud of him and happy to have him as a colleague.”
