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Interview with Amanda Hamer
Executive
Director and Founder of Diversability, Inc.
By Jill Ridling
I recently had the great pleasure of speaking with Amanda Hamer about the development and future of her Bend non-profit–Diversabilty, Inc. Her
involvement with the diversability community began in 2004, shortly after her oldest daughter was born with Down Syndrome at a time when few resources and little guidance existed for parents. Amanda met and overcame multiple challenges with the help of family, friends, and community members, striving to offer her daughter the most significant opportunities available. After years of connecting with community and governmental resources, she wanted to empower other parents and advocates with information. Out of this need, Diversability, Inc. was born.
Diversability, Inc. provides a website clearinghouse of diversability information for parents, advocates, and individuals experiencing Down Syndrome and other physical and developmental diversabilities. Amanda has served on several local and state councils and, before Diversability, Inc., has launched several other organizations serving the local diversability community.
While earning a master’s degree in counseling, she noticed the disconnect between the fields of education, clinical medicine, and mental health care. This prompted her to pursue her Community Health Worker (CHW) certificate,offering her insights for building even stronger bridges between the worlds of clinical medicine and the educational needs of families coping with a new diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Autism, or other life-changing diversability.
Realizing that providers treating patients with these conditions often worked in isolation from one another and families lacked a centralized resource hub, Amanda launched the Diversability, Inc. resource website, DiversabilityVillage, believing that it takes a village to support families. This website offers families and individuals resources for both youth and adults and assists families in connecting with one another and local diversability networks.
Amanda and her team wish to expand Diversability, Inc. by training current and future employees to become certified Family Support Specialists serving families throughout Central Oregon. She envisions these support workers being present at pediatric clinics when parents are given their child’s diagnosis offering supportive assistance in navigating the new world of diversabilities.
Those interested in being part of Amanda and her Team’s mission are encouraged to visit the website below and explore their newest employment listings and other ways you can support their organization.
Website Diversability, Inc.
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