Melissa,
I saw fliers for the Mid-American Accessibility Summit in the waiting room last week. Can you give me the scoop?
Yes! It has been exciting to see the buzz and excitement surrounding this inaugural event. It is being hosted by our TEAMworks non-profit so many of my Children’s Therapy TEAM colleagues as well as several talented TEAM teens are working hard to make it happen. TheMid-America Accessibility Summit (MAAS) is a regional exhibition drawing on sponsors from a tri-state area (Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri). To get the latest, I interviewed two of the event coordinators, Tabitha Mayberry (TEAM Speech Therapist) and Kelly Yates (TEAM Occupational Therapist).
So what will this event look like?
Tabitha: The Summit is a fantastic (and FREE!) way for the community to explore a wide array of vendors, products, and services geared to individuals with a variety of special needs including both physical and mental disabilities. What’s so fantastic about this event is that all of these services will be under one roof so patrons can discover possible services that they had never known about before.
Can you describe some of the vendors attending?
Tabitha: This event is not just about wheelchairs. It is to help the community learn about services for a wide variety of special needs. There will be MAAS Vendors for Veterans (Soldier on Service Dogs), Extracurricular activities for children with special needs (TEAM Talent), Adapted Vehicles (Presidential Conversions), Physician offices (Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Associates), Wheelchair vendors/equipment (Action Seating and Mobility, Permobil), Financial services (Special Needs Planning Center) and much, much more.
Are there other events besides the vendor booths?
Tabitha: So much More! Throughout the entire day we have a fantastic line-up of speakers. Each session will be approximately 1 hour and will allow time for questions from the audience. A new speaker will be showcased every hour. (See full list of presenters here).
Kelly, why do you think an event such as MAAS is needed in Northwest Arkansas?
Kelly: We were able to locate events such as MAAS on the East and West Coasts, but there really wasn’t anything available anywhere close to our area. As an occupational therapist who really tries to look at the whole person, I help families navigate and access services, but sometimes I don’t know everything that is out there. This is a great way for healthcare professionals, clients and families to all stay up-to-date on the latest services available.
How does this event fit with the mission of TEAMworks?
Kelly: The mission of TEAMWorks is to help orphans and individuals with disabilities both locally and internationally. It is really fitting that this fundraiser for TEAMWorks can serve both as a service to the community as well as a fundraiser to further assist the needs of the community.
Kelly, what are you most excited about at MAAS?
Kelly: I am really excited to hear Dr. Ganesh Gupta speak. He is giving a presentation about the current research on the relationship between gut bacteria and overall health and a second presentation on helping parents make medical decisions for their minor children. I am also very curious to see what types of services are provided from Soldier On Service Dogs and Equestrian Bridges. The healing power of animals has been a keen interest of mine throughout my career as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist.
Thank you Tabitha and Kelly for sharing! Remember, the Summit is Saturday, September 12th and is FREE to the public. Hope to see you there!