National AgrAbility Project

The 2025 NTW dates are March 24th -27th. We will be staying at the Hotel Encanto and holding sessions at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Goodwill staff visited the hotel and museum and are excited for the opportunity that this new format holds. The hotel is beautiful with lots of southwestern flair, and the museum is amazing. Staff saw the plans and some of the pieces for the AgrAbility exhibit and can't wait to see the finished product.

You can make your room reservation now. Rooms at the Encanto have been blocked for us at a rate of $107.00 per night, plus a $10 amenity fee and applicable taxes. Please use the following link to book your accommodations online: 2503AGRABI. This link is only valid during the specified room block dates, the arrival and departure dates must be selected from the drop-down menu. The Federal per diem rates will potentially be changing on Oct. 1st, so if you make your reservations before Oct. 1st, you should be able to lock in the $107 rate. Alternatively, individuals may contact our reservations team directly at (866) 383-0443 and provide the group code: 2503AGRABI

There are only two accessible rooms at the Hotel Encanto. Staff are working on blocking more at nearby hotels. The Hotel Encanto does have some rooms with a walk-in shower (1-2in lip) that may be able to be made accessible with a shower chair and removable grab bars. Please let Tess know if you are in need of these items.

Submit proposals for presentations and posters using the Google forms below by November 4th. These forms are also available on the NTW website.

Call for Presentation
Call for Poster

Time is running out to register for the next regional workshop, which will be held in Guam, October 29-31. Rooms have been blocked at Hyatt Regency Guam at a rate of $159 per night plus taxes/fees.This is a two-day conference with a tour on day three focusing on mental health, wellness, and resiliency. The registration and hotel reservation link along with more information can be found at agrability.info/regional.

Submitted by Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

Steve Etheridge, NAP's vocational rehabilitation consultant, and Chuck Baldwin, underserved populations outreach coordinator, staffed an AgrAbility exhibit at the National Amish Amputee Gathering in Shipshewana, IN, August 31. It was held at an Amish home in a nice outbuilding made for gatherings, weddings, and various reunions. Roughly 270 participants were there, the vast majority of them Amish, and all of them impacted directly or indirectly by amputation. The Amish came from as far away as Canada and from 11 states: IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MO, OH, PA, VA, and WI. Those with amputations ranged in age from four years old to the very elderly and, as with any such gathering, the disabilities were the result of a wide variety of incidents and a few diseases.

The spirit of the gathering was amazing, with people sharing not just their struggles, but their faith and their many victories. Joy was a fairly constant companion in the conversations that were held. Chuck was amazed to watch many of those affected take off their prosthetics to hand them to someone else for inspection and discussion - whole legs handed out from under dresses or arms from shirtsleeves! There was keen discussion on whether it was better to have a standard prosthetic or an "implant" connected directly to the remaining bone. Some prosthetics were old and simple, while others were very high-tech with functioning joints and circuits that controlled fingers. Many people came by the AgrAbility table and good discussions on AgrAbility's services resulted in new interest on the part of a number of attendees. Some asked for specific guidance on such things as ramps to get into vans or up stairs. Others spoke of accessibility for horse-drawn vehicles. Both Steve and Chuck enjoyed the opportunity to meet with this group and to be in a position, through AgrAbility, to offer help and hope.

The next National Amish Amputee Gathering will take place in the summer of 2025 in Penn Yan, New York, and AgrAbility has been welcomed to attend.

Submitted by Chuck Baldwin