October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The Metro Community College and the Ability Fund - Nebraska Self Employment Services promoted the month by hosting Main Street Unplugged in Omaha to showcase the achievements and to promote awareness of exceptional entrepreneurs with disabilities. Emily Freudenburg, ESN rural rehabilitation specialist, staffed a booth marketing AgrAbility and other Easter Seals Nebraska services, and networked with several individuals and organizations about how to include people with disabilities in the workforce.
"Protect your hearing" was the message for a health fair exhibit and TV spot during the month. Sharry Nielsen, Extension educator, staffed the Nebraska AgrAbility booth for the Franklin County Health Fair with displays promoting ways to protect hearing, PPE to try on, and free earplugs for participants. About 120 attended. Following the health fair, Sharry did a TV spot promoting hearing protection, especially on farms and ranches, citing information from the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.
Submitted by Sharry Nielsen