National AgrAbility Project

Chuck Baldwin, NAP's special population outreach coordinator, and Dr. Danyele Clingan, OTD, staffed an AgrAbility booth at the annual Amish Handicap [sic] Gathering just outside of Berlin, OH, June 8-9. Between 500 and 600 Amish and Old Order Mennonites impacted by disability attended the gathering from at least ten different states and Canada. Among the states represented were FL, IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MO, OH, PA, and VA. AgrAbility was well-received, and for both Chuck and Danyele, it was an encouraging time to see so many people meet for the sole purpose of encouraging each other to live life fully in spite of their disabilities.

Several attendees stopped by to talk with Danyele about their disabilities and to receive advice from her on how to ease their pain and work. Danyele also seemed to attract attention from a number of the Amish children, opening the door for discussions with their parents. During one of those discussions, it was learned that in some states, like Ohio, Amish communities have their own school(s) for children with disabilities, while in many states, Amish children must attend public schools in order to receive the special attention they need.

The main materials taken by the attendees were the Weeds in Our Garden coloring book and the Plain Facts about Arthritis: A Guide to Understanding and Living with Arthritis in Plain Communities booklet.

Among the good contacts made was the organizer of next year's Handicap Gathering to be held June 7-8, 2019, in Dayton, VA. He warmly invited AgrAbility to be a part of that future Gathering.

For more information on the Amish Handicap Gathering, please contact Chuck Baldwin at baldwi19@purdue.edu.

Submitted by Chuck Baldwin