On February 19, the Ohio AgrAbility Project hosted a national workshop "Building Independence through Agriculture for People with Developmental Disabilities." The workshop was attended by 120 participants from a variety of organizations including the National AgrAbility Project, state AgrAbility projects, Ohio County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, and other agencies working with individuals with disabilities. During the workshop, participants learned about existing agricultural models that employ people with developmental disabilities and identified factors that influenced how agriculture can be a viable work environment for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Ohio AgrAbility has been working with two University of Dayton engineering classes to design a greenhouse to meet the needs of individuals in wheelchairs. OAP staff provided information for UD students regarding optimal design of the greenhouse, and the classes toured the North Dayton Garden Center to gather critical information and foster ideas for the design challenges. The project designs should be complete later this spring.
Submitted by Kent McGuire