AgrAbility to observe 20th anniversary at national conference
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – AgrAbility will celebrate its 20-year anniversary in November with its premier training conference featuring commemorative events while also addressing issues of disability in agriculture.
Professionals and consumers from across the country will participate in four days of plenary sessions, breakouts, tours, networking and special events during the AgrAbility National Training Workshop.
The workshop Nov. 7-10 will be held at the downtown Indianapolis Hilton Hotel and Suites, 120 W. Market St.
"The AgrAbility National Training Workshop is an opportunity for AgrAbility staff, rural professionals and farmer clients to interact with and learn from each other in addition to coming together to celebrate 20 years of AgrAbility's accomplishments and advancements in agriculture," said Kylie Hendress, AgrAbility engagement coordinator.
Conference highlights are:
* Dinner with keynote address by Lynnae Ruttledge, commissioner of the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration.
* Pre-conference tours of the Richard L. Roudebush Indianapolis VA Medical Center, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana and Life Essentials, a designer and maker of assistive technology.
* A panel of farmers who represent AgrAbility's 20-year history.
* Tours of AgrAbility client farms, agritourism enterprises and alternative agriculture sites.
Registration is available online until Nov. 4 at https://www.conf.purdue.edu/agrability. See the conference website, https://workshop.agrability.org/2011/, for additional conference and hotel information. Hotel reservations at a special rate for attendees are available until Oct. 14. There will be no on-site registration.
The National AgrAbility Project is offering a limited number of scholarships to farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities and their spouses or caregivers to attend the conference. Deadline to submit a scholarship application is Sept. 2. An application form is available on the conference website.
AgrAbility, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consists of the National Project led by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center at Purdue. AgrAbility also includes state and regional projects serving 25 states, each involving collaborative partnerships between land-grant universities and various nonprofit disability services organizations.
Writer: Keith Robinson, 765-494-2722, robins89@purdue.edu
Source: Kylie Hendress, 765-494-6679, khendres@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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