Ohio

Ohio AgrAbility is hosting a workshop February 26: Building Independence through Agriculture. The workshop will focus on employment opportunities in agriculture, horticulture, and related industries, for individuals with cognitive disabilities. The goals for the workshop are:

• To present information to connect disability services professionals and their clients with farmers and agricultural employers, and overcome barriers to employment
• To provide a list of resources for potential funding of adaptive equipment and modifications, assistive technology, job modifications, and technical support
• To highlight the exceptional skills and abilities of this population and emphasize the advantages of hiring a person with a disability (reliability, longevity/loyalty, tax incentives)

Planning this workshop has given Ohio AgrAbility staff an excellent opportunity to share the AgrAbility mission with many non-farming individuals and increase opportunities for collaboration and resource development within the Ohio Extension system, agricultural populations, and disability services communities.
Registration information will be available at the Ohio AgrAbility website mid-January, and resources developed for and at the conference will be available after the conference.

Submitted by Laura Akgerman