Ohio

February 27 was Brain Injury Awareness and Advocacy Day at the Ohio Statehouse. Disability Services Coordinator Laura Akgerman represented Ohio AgrAbility and spoke to her state representative, Mary Lightbody, about Ohio AgrAbility, brain injury, and keeping Ohio farmers farming. Representative Lightbody is a farmer, serves on the Ohio House Agriculture Committee, and was very engaged in learning more about Ohio AgrAbility services, outreach, and collaboration with Ohio's vocational rehabilitation agency, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

Randy Joseph, OAP rural rehabilitation supervisor, made a difference when he shared information about Track Chairs with staff from the Guernsey County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
"I need to give you a huge thank you for the connection you helped me make at McCabe Outdoors. I made contact with the owner Kim McCabe and she is very nice and really wants to help the child I work with get a Track Chair. She has a sit-to-stand Track Chair that has been donated back to them. She is giving the chair all new components, seat, and paint job so it will essentially be brand new. My girl even gets to pick the paint color. This is a $20,000 chair brand new and even better than what we were trying to get. They are willing to meet the $10,000 budget and have applied to become a waiver provider so they can work with me to get this kid what she needs. This totally made my day and her dad nearly cried when I got to share the information with him. THANKS!!!! your discussion with me made a difference. Misty"

Submitted by Laura Akgerman