Helping Hands sounds like a pretty amazing group. They provide trained monkeys as helpers and companions to people who are physically disabled. At their closed colony in Boston, the group trains capuchin monkeys, a species they say that "have an active curiosity and a natural enjoyment for manipulating objects." The monkeys then live in foster homes to further prepare them before they're placed with the recipient. From the Helping Hands site:
When it is time for their training, monkeys come to live at the Monkey College in Boston. During their time at the College, monkeys are taught a wide variety of helping tasks and behaviors they will use to assist their human partners. Professional staff members dedicated to teaching and caring for the monkeys conduct the daily education program.
Monkeys learn how to help people with simple everyday activities such as opening and setting up a drink of water, providing food, picking up a dropped or out-of-reach object, or turning the pages of a book. Monkeys use their small, dexterous hands to do many kinds of specialized tasks.
A laser pointer directed by mouth control enables a quadriplegic or movement-impaired person to communicate his or her specific needs.
Positive reinforcement including verbal praise, affection, and food rewards is the essential tool used to support a monkey's education and task performance. If a task is not performed as requested, the monkey is not punished but is given more time to practice the task. Most monkeys learn the basic task set within 18-24 months.
Link (Thanks Ruth Waytz, via Xeni!)
