MONTPELIER — A Vermont nonprofit dedicated to supporting neurodivergent individuals is hosting its third annual Community Health Education Fair on the State House Lawn from 11 a.m. to 3 p.
m. Aug. 24.
All Brains Belong VT, founded in 2021, serves the at-least-one-in-five people whose minds work differently than the majority. Some have specific diagnoses (i.e.
, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.), but many do not. Neurodivergent people often struggle to access critical resources, like health care, education, employment and social connection.
The Community Health Education Fair will feature community resource tables from a wide range of organizations and activities for all ages. Participating organizations include the Vermont Family Network, the Education Justice Coalition, the ACLU, NAMI VT, Dad Guild, Kellogg Hubbard Library, HireAbility Vermont, Center for Women & Enterprise and more than 15 others. There will be storytelling presentations, featuring presenters sharing lived experience around education, employment and health care.
Todd Gevry will perform live music. In order to expand access to the event, there will also be the “LimeLite Restoration Zone," sponsored by LimeLite Restoration, to provide a sensory-informed way for people who otherwise might feel left out to feel welcomed. Portions of the event will also be livestreamed by ORCA Media.
One of the goals of the Community Health Education Fair is to bring the resources people need all to one place, without the need to navigate multiple websites or phone calls. Activities are offered in multiple ways, using universal design principles. Participants can interact, or not.
They can listen to music or stories. They can make art. There is no one “right” way to participate.
“Being able to show up authentically, and connect with a community is fundamentally the path to health,” says physician Dr. Mel Houser, founder and executive director of All Brains Belong. “Health care is more than medical care.
Health care is community.” The Community Health Education Fair is sponsored by LimeLite Restoration, Encore Renewable Energy and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. All Brains Belong VT offers a range of services, including medical care, social connection opportunities, advocacy and neurodiversity-related educational training for employers, health care providers and other audiences.
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