KY AgrAbility will have a representative, Mike Lewis, attending the National Disabled Veteran Conference in Atlanta, GA, the first of August. Mike is the director of the KY Growing Warriors Project and a member of the KY AgrAbility team. He has been busy this summer constructing a blueberry field that will be wheelchair-accessible for disabled workers and visitors to his farm in southern Kentucky. In addition he has attended workshops in Asheville, NC, and New York City to give presentations on veterans, the AgrAbility Project, and how they are combining efforts to help disabled veterans in agricultural vocations.
A new member of the KY State University Extension program will be attending the Virginia State 1890s AgrAbility Workshop in mid-August. Shelly Spiggle coordinates the Third Thursday Thing event at KSU for minority, small farm and underserved farmers. While she knows about KY AgrAbility and how it helps farmers with disabilities, she is not aware of the overall partnership with the National AgrAbility Project and will be able to network with other 1890 universities.
KY AgrAbility will also be visiting the state and local fairs and taking care of clients across the state. Trainings are scheduled for extension agents and vocational rehabilitation technicians to bring them up to date on assistive technologies, modifications and client relations. Updating records, record keeping, and client forms will also be covered.
September looks to be as busy as ever with KY Rehabilitation Association Conference, county field days, and more training workshops for clients, partners, and agents. Staff are organizing events and trainings for the remainder of 2016 and looking forward to some cooler weather. They hope to see you at one of the events.
Submitted by Linda Bokros