Know before you go

Getting to know your service area really well takes commitment and resources. You will need to devote time to understanding the rural areas, the common places individuals gather, and learn what programs currently exist.

Before you head out to meet folks in your rural service area, you can use existing data to better understand who lives and works there.

Here are some simple tools to use to gain an understanding of the demographics and disabilities in your rural service areas:

• County Health Rankings
• Disability Counts
• Kids Count Data Center (no disability data)