Assistive Technology

Assistive technology commonly refers to both assistive and adaptive devices, which may be either high or low technology, and various services such as evaluations, fabrication and training. Examples of high through low technology assistive devices which farmers and ranchers with disabilities might find beneficial, could range from mounted chair lifts to easy grip hand tools respectively.

Technical Resources
Resource Sheets
Tip Sheets
Plans for Equipment Modifications
Technology Extras
Funding Resources
Liability Issues
Secondary Injuries and Illnesses
Product Comparison Data Sheets
Ask an Expert

Technical Resources

AgrAbility, Assistive Technology Products for Farmers/Ranchers (Sponsored by the AgrAbility Project)
ABLEDATA, Information on Assistive Technology (Sponsored by the NIDRR, U.S. Department of Education)
AssistiveTech.net, Assistive Technology Explorer (Sponsored by Georgia Tech and NIDRR, U.S. Department of Education)
The Toolbox (print copy), Agricultural Related Assistive Technology (Sponsored by Breaking New Ground Resource Center )

Resource Sheets

A list of commercial resources aimed at addressing a particular assistive technology.

Digital Wireless Phone Service Providers (updated 4/08)
Added Steps & Hand Holds for Tractors
Commercial Lifts (6/07)
Hitches
Grain Bin Storage
Gates, Guards & Latches (updated 2/08)
- Gate Access for Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Workers with Mobility Limitations
  (download PowerPoint presentation by Brad Marsh, 2001 Workshop)
- Cattle Guards and Drive Through Gates (January 2007)
- Drive-through Farm Gates
  Get a drive-through gate for your farm and make winter or any type of weather more bearable.
  (Link takes you to the article posted on the Hobby Farms web site. 1/08)
Slips and Falls

Tip Sheets

Ideas and suggestions from experts and people with first-hand knowledge on a given assistive technology topic.

All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
- "Ultimate All-Terrain Test"
  Successful Farming magazine editors took a week to test and evaluate several ATVs. See their comments and specific ATV comparison test results. (2/08)
Skid Steer Loaders
- Controls Refine Great Skid-Steer Power
  Cab and control refinements put a variety of weights, horsepowers and hydraulic capabilities at your fingertips in 1,600- to 2,200-pound skid-steer loaders. Article features and compares 32 models of mid-sized skid-steers. May 1, 2006, By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor. (Link takes you to the article posted on the Construction Equipment web site. 6/06)
Aquaculture
- Aquaculture and Disability
  So you think aquaculture is a new concept? You might be surprised to learn that the Japanese, Chinese, Romans, Egyptians, and Mayan Indians all farmed fish for food prior to 2000 BC. (04/05)
  (Also available as PDF)
Tractors
- New innovation automatically connects PTO attachments to compact tractors
  "John Deere introduced a new innovation that will help you switch from one attachment to another. The new iMatch AutoHitch, which follows in the footsteps of iMatch Quick–Hitch, takes operator ease and efficiency to a whole new level by eliminating the hassle and frustration of attaching PTO–powered implements to compact tractors." (link takes you to the John Deere web site) (6/08)
- Compact Tractor Review - The Best Source On The Internet For Objective Equipment Reviews and Information.
- Tractor Accessories and Replacement Parts:
  - K & M Manufacturing manufactures replacement tractor seats, suspensions, steps, mirrors, floor mats, cab foam kits, warning light systems, tool boxes, weight / rock boxes and many more products for Allis Chalmers, Case IH, David Brown, Ford, International Harvester, John Deere, Kubota, Massey Ferguson, Minneapolis Moline, New Holland, Oliver White, Steiger and Versatile tractors and mowers. (January 2007)
- Tractor Lifts
  - A Chair Lift for a Ford 4000 Tractor
    Paper presented at the 2001 Annual ASAE Conference, and presented here with permission from Chris Wray, Missouri AgrAbility Project, and the MU Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, and the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE). (also available as PDF, is Chris's Honors Research Project presentation about the same tractor lift.)
  - Choosing a Design for or Using a Locally Fabricated Tractor Lift
- Tractor Hand Controls
  - An Ergonomic Analysis of the Controls Present in a Tractor Workstation (PDF)
    (Published with permission from the author, Mr. Dimitrios Drakopoulos, and published with permission from "The Canadian Society for Bioengineering [CSBE/SCGAB]) (9/07)
  - Adaptive Controls for Tractors and Machinery
    (Presented with permission from the Tennessee AgrAbility Project, also available as PDF)
  - Using a Tractor with Hand Controls
- Tractor and/or Self Propelled Equipment Seating
  - Are you thinking of replacing or upgrading the seat in your John Deere tractor? Details of seats for John Deere tractors from the 30 Series to the present day John Deere tractors are listed here. Link takes you to the John Deere parts web site, for a list of replacement seats, seat belts and instructional seats.
  - A Review of the Current Seat Technologies in Agricultural Tractors (PDF)
    (Published with permission from the author, Mr. Dimitrios Drakopoulos, 8/07)
  - Proper Seating and Positioning for Tractor Operators Affected by Spinal Cord Injuries
    (Also available as PDF)
- Utility Tractors
  - From the November, 2008, issue of Successful Farming, The Ultimate Utility Tractor Test. (Link takes you to the Successful Farming web site. 11/08)
  - Not Your Father's Tractor (10/06)
    (Created and reprinted with permission from Hobby Farms March/April 2006 magazine and Sara Coleman, October, 2006)
Farm and Ranch Tools
- What to look for when selecting or modifying hand tools to provide a better fit with the user (updated 4/08)
  (Also available as PDF)
General Farm and Ranch Topics
- Farming with an Arm Amputation
- Hay Making and Handling Made Easier (updated 4/08)
  (Also available as PDF)
- Squeeze Chutes
  Generally speaking, herd health and operator safety would both benefit if producers added a squeeze chute to their facilities. (Link takes you to the Agriculture OnLine web site, for a comparison review of twenty manufacturers of squeeze chutes, October 2006.)
Accessible Gardening
- Gardens for Every Body
  (Link takes you to the University of Missouri, Columbia, web site)
- Crops & Gardening - How Do I ... Build Raised Beds
  Growing in raised beds has many advantages and it can be easier on aging backs and knees. Interested, check out this helpful article from Hobby Farms. (5/08) (Link takes you to the Hobby Farms web site.)
Utility Vehicles
- 2003 National Training Workshop, Thursday, November 11, 2003 Utility Vehicle Review with Test Drive
- Buyers Guide to Small Farm Utility Vehicles, By Sarah Christie,
  (Reprinted with permission from Hobby Farms magazine and Sarah Christie. Oct/Nov 03)
- How do Utility Vehicles measure up?
  (Link takes you to the Farm Industry News web site, for a comparison review of eight popular utility vehicles, October 2002.)
- Side by side: Utility vehicles (03/05)
  Purchasing a utility vehicle can help manage many projects around your farm or ranch with ease. The utility vehicle market is exploding with a variety of manufacturers, and new ones continue to enter the field. Long-time makers continue to hone their products with new features. Check out photos, specifications and prices on new models from 18 manufacturers, from Bobcat to Yamaha.
- Load Warriors
  "Easier to operate than an ATV, a good utility vehicle (UV) can haul moderate loads, scramble over terrain and get you from farm to field quickly ... " (Link takes you to the Farm Industry Web site, where 10 farmers from around the country review 10 different utility vehicles, November 2005.)
- The Mid-January, 2006, issue of the Farm Journal Magazine had a great comparison article about utility vehicles titled "Two By Two, Utility vehicles take on the farm market".
  (Link takes you to the article posted on the AgWeb web site. 3/06)
- "Ultimate All-Terrain Test:" Successful Farming's team of trail riders and engineers put several utility vehicles (UVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) through a series of tests. What they found may be of interest to AgrAbility staff and/or farmers and ranchers with a disability when considering these vehicles (2/08).
Arthritis
- "Farming with Arthritis" (link to the streaming video)
  Researchers at the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) put together this educational video (also available on DVD) to help people in the agricultural industry deal with arthritis. The video titled "Farming with Arthritis", features farmers in real-life scenarios such as building, planting crops, working with equipment and performing other physical tasks that demonstrate the types of movements performed daily. It is also a useful tool for physicians and other health-care providers in better understanding the challenges specific to farming population. (3/08)
  This video was produced by the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) and Missouri AgrAbility with a grant from the U. S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research under special project number H133B980022, 1998-2003. For a copy of the video, contact Missouri AgrAbility at 1-800-995-8503.
- Hand in Hand
  (Link takes you to the Farm Journal web site, for an article written about farming with arthritis in their February, 2003 issue.)
Poultry Farming
- Assistive Technology and Workplace Modifications for Poultry Growers with Disabilities
  presented with permission from the Delaware/Maryland AgrAbility Project. (3/05)
  (Also available as PDF.)

Plans for Equipment Modifications

Information regarding equipment modifications that AgrAbility Staff might find useful.

Hand Operated Clutch Lever
The National AgrAbility Project staff have been assisting the Distributed Collaborative Product Development Project hosted at Georgia Tech University with their "GALE - Gator with Assistive Living Enhancements" project. The GALE project is developing a hand control, a wheelchair lift, and a pivoting seat for a John Deere Gator utility vehicle. (1/05)
- (8/05) Georgia Tech has successfully wrapped up the GALE (Gator with Assistive Living Enhancements) project with a live demonstration of 3 working prototypes! The results can be viewed at http://ptc.cad.gatech.edu/phase4/.
Northend-Mobility provided the National AgrAbility Project with information about modifications they made to a John Deere lawn tractor and Gator for a C5-6 quad. For more information and pictures of these modifications, please check out the links below (3/05):
- Lawn tractor mod (PDF)
- Gator mod (PDF)
The Colorado AgrAbility Project recently completed modifications on a Kawasaki Mule for
a client. Read about the project and view pictures by checking out either link below (6/06):
- Colorado AgrAbility Modified Mule (Word Doc.) (6.83MB)
- Colorado AgrAbility Modified Mule (HTML.)
Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) students at UW-Madison design a hand control for a utility vehicle working in cooperation with the National AgrAbility Project. You can preview the report here and look at their design (7/06).
- BSE 509 Senior Design Project, Fall 2005
Freshman Student Design Projects (2/07)

Technology Extras

Topics that may be of interest to AgrAbility Staff or related to Assistive Technology.

The Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
is a team of researchers and outreach specialists who find and share work efficiency methods that improve health, safety and profits for nursery growers, dairy, fresh market vegetable, and berry farmers. Below are some items that may interest you, or please visit our web site for other great ideas. (8/07)
MTB Amputee
This site is intended to encourage and inform both amputees and the general public in regards to prosthetic and mountain bike innovations and modifications as well as mountain biking and cycling skills and technique. Besides bike modifications, they offer information on motorcycle, ATV, and snowmobile modifications with links to other outdoor activities. (8/07)
Grasping the Importance of Our Hands
"Our hands do so much for us. They are capable of a wide variety of functions: touching, grasping, feeling, holding, manipulating, caressing, and more." Web link /Reprinted with permission of the Amputee Coalition of America/, from Volume 16, Issue 6, November/December,
2006, inMotion Magazine (7/07)
Dial 7-1-1 For Telecommunications Relay Service (Word Doc)
The (FCC) has implemented 7-1-1 for access to all Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) (8/06).
The Farmers with Disabilities program began in 1985 to provide support for Saskatchewan farmers with disabilities who want to stay on the land. They have built an extensive on line library, or CD you can order. (2/05)
Square Foot Gardening is a uniquely simplified method of gardening , without all the hard work and drudgery of single row gardening. (11/04)
Nov. 3 , 2004: NIOSH Update that provides the public, press, and other stakeholders with information about a new publication by NIOSH and the Cal/OSHA Consultation Service for evaluating and selecting non-powered hand tools to reduce risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools
Products and packaging that have received a favorable review and carry the Arthritis Foundation Ease-of-Use Commendation Logo (08/04).
The Able Workshop, Resource for Disabled Woodworkers. A Site for Woodworkers who have a Disability. Regardless of handicap, anyone can have a workshop and enjoy making projects in wood.
Ergonomic Ideas Bank
(link takes you to the Washington State Ergonomic Ideas Bank web site, that offers a searchable collection of ideas which may help you to reduce exposure to awkward postures, high hand force, repetitive motions, lifting, vibration, and other work related risk factors.)
Ergonomics of Back Pain in Farmers. Descriptive Reference Manual (PDF) (4/08)
On the farm communication
- Not your father's phone.
  (link takes you to the Farm Industry News web site, for an article written about Telephones becoming walkie-talkies, March 2004.)
Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for Farm Workers, The tip sheets in this publication show you how to make or order inexpensive new tools, or modify existing tools. A NIOSH publication from February, 2001 (04/05)
(link takes you to the NIOSH web site, and this is a PDF only document.)

Funding Resources

The Guide to Financing Business and/or Assistive Technology (PDF) offers funding resources available through public disability-related funding sources, private disability-related programs or charitable organizations, USDA, and the Small Business Administration. The Guide also provides numerous examples of how AgrAbility clients used the funding awarded (1/08)

Liability Issues

The National AgrAbility Project, 2002, 2003, and 2006 National Training Workshops (NTW) each had a presentation covering liability issues. Some of this information has been collected and is presented on the liability resources liability resources web page.

However, we would like to know what other issues regarding "liability" you may have. Please contact us or send us your thoughts using the "Ask an expert" or Contact Us Web Link below. (Additional information regarding what was presented at each workshop is available on the Archive web page under "Events".)

Secondary Injuries and Illnesses

Recently (2006-2007), the National AgrAbility staff conducted focus groups and interviewed several farmers and ranchers who had experienced a secondary injury or illness. This purpose of this effort was to better understand the causes of the secondary injury or illness, and to also assist in the creation of educational material to help prevent future injury or illness. Most of the farmers and ranchers in the focus groups or who were interviewed had experienced a leg/arm amputation, or were using a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury.

Below are three documents which summarize some of our findings to date. We hope you find this information beneficial.

This next document summarizes some questions you may wish to ask your prosthetist.

Questions You Should Ask Your Prosthetist (9/07)

The information below was gathered by the Easter Seal Society of Iowa's Farm Family Rehabilitation Management (FaRM) Program a few years ago. The documents pertain to Secondary Injury and Illnesses, and are collected here for your convenience and information only. (Note: Six of the following links take you to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], National Ag Safety Database [NASD] web site. The remaining link takes you to the Extension-AgrAbility web site at Iowa State.)

If you would like to share your ideas, comments, or be interviewed during a future focus group session, please contact us or send us your thoughts using the "Ask an expert" or Contact Us Web Link below.

Product Comparison Data Sheets

Product comparison data sheets created by the National AgrAbility Project Staff to be used as a "tool" for comparison and evaluation purposes only, when State AgrAbility staff need to make a recommendation between same/various manufacturers of similar pieces of equipment. The "tool" will provide information for issues related to the disability needs of the operator, and therefore combined with the manufacturer's standard product data sheet, hopefully assist in the recommendation or decision making process.

The first in this series of product comparison data sheets tools can be used with Utility Vehicles. The comparison results for several Utility Vehicles are now posted on line here.

The second in this series of product comparison data sheets tools can be used with Utility Tractors. The comparison results for several Utility Tractors are now posted on line here.

The third in this series of product comparison data sheets tools can be used with Skid Steer Loaders. The comparison results for several Skid Steers are now posted on line here.

The fourth in this series of product comparison data sheets tools can be used with Combines. The comparison results for several Combines are now posted on line here.

Ask an expert

Do you have questions about specific assistive technologies that we haven't addressed here? Give us a shout. We welcome your questions.