Photo By Aimee Malone | Lt. Col. Sheila Coker, deputy garrison commander, speaks to Fort McCoy, Wis.,...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy hosted its observance for National Disability Employment Awareness Month on Oct. 24 at McCoy’s Community Center.
The event featured two guest speakers — Samantha Hall, the executive director of HorseSense Inc., and Don Weber, founder of Logistics Health Inc. HorseSense provides therapeutic horseback riding for people both with and without disabilities. The organization is a member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.
Weber contributed to and helped found the HorseSense for Heroes veterans program, which allows military veterans to try the HorseSense program free of charge. Weber also spoke about his experiences as a Marine who served in Vietnam.
Autumn McCray, management assistant with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services, also briefly spoke about her experience as a patron of HorseSense for Heroes.
“Therapeutic horseback riding is defined as recreational horseback riding lessons adapted to meet the needs of individuals living with disabilities,” Hall said.
However, a diagnosed disability is not required to ride with HorseSense. “Many people find benefit in riding just as a stress reliever,” Hall said.
Riders are assessed by certified instructors before their first lessons, and lessons can be adjusted to fit each rider’s physical, social, and/or psychological goals. Instructors are trained in assisting riders with a wide range of abilities to make sure they remain safe during their lessons.
Hall touted the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for veterans in helping them readjust to civilian life.
“Research has shown that working with horses improves overall quality of life on physiological, psychological, and spiritual levels,” Hall said.
Information about HorseSense can be found online at www.horsesensewi.org. Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of U.S. workers with disabilities, according to www.dol.gov.
The observance’s roots go back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed
to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of people with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”
The event was organized by the Army Reserve Equal Employment Opportunity Office.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2019 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 351093 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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