A Brief History of Assistech

ASSISTECH™, formerly known as ARIZONA HEARING ONLINE™, was founded in March of 2000 by Oliver Simões, a former language instructor and translator. We've been in business for .

Our product line started with assistive listening devices (ALDs) and gradually expanded to include other disability and special needs items such as: visual aids, speech aids, and mobility items for the elderly and physically challenged.

With the expansion of our business, the company name changed to Assistive Technologies for Special Needs (DBA Assistech, Inc). Back in 2002 we opened a storefront in response to the local market demand. We operated out of Tucson for two years before moving to our current office location.

We can be found online at www.assistech.com, www.azhearing.com, www.assistech.net and www.assistivedevices.net.

MEET OUR STAFF:

Oliver Simoes [pronounced see-MOHN-ees] holds a Master of Arts degree in English as a Second Language from the University of Arizona. He taught ESL and Portuguese for several years before starting his own business. Oliver's responsibilities include handling the overall business operations and maintaining the company websites. Oliver loves web design because it gives him an opportunity to be creative.

Marsha Neilson reassumed her Customer Service position with the Company after a one-year break, as she moved back from her native Colorado. As before, Marsha is instrumental in taking care of our customers and making sure orders are processed in a timely manner, besides fulfilling other clerical duties. We're very happy to have Marsha back!

Larry Roberts is our hearing aids expert. Larry is a Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist with 10-year experience with Diagnostic Audiology for ENT Physicians and over 23 years as a Hearing Aid Dispenser. He's a retired US Air Force and loves his Aussie dogs. Larry owns a hearing aid business in Green Valley (Arizona).

MISSION STATEMENT:

Our mission is to help people with disabilities and special needs by providing assistive products and professional services for an active and independent life.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT:

We pride ourselves on our professionalism, competitive prices, and friendly Customer Service. Since our inception on the market, we have accomplished many things:

Ameriphone Dealer since December of 2000; Authorized Distributor for Clarity (who now owns Ameriphone).
Authorized Distributor for Williams Sound since 2001
Registered Vendor with AZTEDP, the Arizona State Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program since 2002.
Member of the National Federation of the Blind, National Association of the Deaf, National Federation of Independent Business, and ALOHA (Adult Loss of Hearing Association) - Tucson Chapter
Honored Member of Cambridge Who's Who
Gave several presentations and product demos in and around Tucson.
Participated in health fairs and trade shows.
Expanded to four websites and added translation capability, which gives us visibility on a global scale.
Currently, our websites are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
We always try to be a step ahead of the competition in the way we present ourselves as a company.*
We are more than just a shopping cart. We provide a content-rich website and view consumer education as part of our broader mission.
We proudly support World Vision in building a better world for children.
Official sponsor of the Brazilian Week
Our office is ADA compliant.

* Check our websites for some innovative features like Daily/Weekly News, Product Reviews, Articles of Interest, Chat, Fun Stuff, Newsletter, Currency Converter, Live Customer Service, Language Translation, Text Resizer (which allows for low vision accessibility), SSL Encryption, and more!