2004 National AgrAbility Project Training Workshop

New Staff Orientation
This session will provide new AgrAbility staff with important information and resources to help them with their jobs.

Presenters: National AgrAbility Staff
[PowerPoint presentation] Overview
[PowerPoint presentation] Marketing and Communication
[PowerPoint presentation] Education and Volunteer Services
[PowerPoint presentation] Demographics and Evaluation
[PowerPoint presentation] Secondary Injury Prevention

Developing Cultural Competencies
Myths & Misconceptions about being ‘Culturally Competent’

• Cultural Diversity Basics:
  • Cultural Diversity Among Operators (2002 Census of Agriculture)
  • What is Culture
  • Why is Culture Important
• Cross-Cultural Dynamics: ‘How To’ Guidelines
  • Culture Club
  • At First Glance- A Personal Perspective
  • Review of resources
• Case Studies: Practice with real world scenarios

Hospitality Room
Stop by the hospitality room to greet old friends and meet new ones.

Opening Reception
State projects are encouraged to bring a poster or display to share highlights of their work over the past year. Appetizers and beverages will be served.

Hospitality Room Open

Opening Plenary Session

• Welcome: Dr. Ron Schuler, National AgrAbility Project Leader, University of Wisconsin Extension
• Introductions: Dr. Robert Aherin, AgrAbility Unlimited Project Leader, University of Illinois Extension
• How the Vocational Rehabilitation System Works and Why? Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Justesen will provide an overview of the Vocational Rehabilitation system describing its legislative mandate, funding mechanism, eligibility criteria, relationship to other disability service providers, partnerships and accountability measures.

Keynote Speaker:Troy Justesen, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

Break

Building a Partnership with Vocational Rehabilitation

Deputy Commissioner for the Rehabilitation Services Administration and Associate Director for Domestic Policy and Disability Policy will provide insight and suggestions on how AgrAbility projects can effectively work with their state vocational rehabilitation programs. This session will also review federal regulations that pertain to consumers of VR services; for example, self employment, assessments, assistive technology, spending caps for services. A question and answer period will follow the presentations.

Presenters: Troy Justesen, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and Tracy Justesen, Associate Director for the White House Domestic Policy Council

Kentucky GROW Project – Alternative Agriculture session

Kentucky GROW, a three-year federal grant project, explored inclusive community gardening opportunities. This presentation will focus on lessons learned with regard to vocational and recreational outcomes as well as on products developed by the project.

Ambassadors in Action

Representatives from the highly successful Illinois AgrAbility Unlimited Ambassadors program will present practical information on how to create and sustain a volunteer program that is effective in promoting a state AgrAbility project and its services. The session will include time for an exchange of information and ideas with panel and participants.

Panelists: Bruce Johnson, Mary Kay Sikma, Bill Newton, Dick Vissering, David Shiver, Trevor Huffman

AgrAbility Unlimited: Bob Aherin, Mike Brokaw, Brenda Besse, Jim Williams

"Heads or Tails",
Strategies and Solutions for Seating and Wheeled Mobility
(3 hour session)

Getting back into the operator’s seat is a desired outcome for many individuals. While lifts, steps and handholds help get the individual back into the seat, once the individual gets there, her or she must reach the controls, use mirrors and watch equipment operation.

This session will include:

• “The Ten Commandments of Seating” - principles, issues, and basic philosophies;
• “Anatomy and Terminology” - the language and physiology;
• From “Person to Product” -how to connect the dots and arrive at solutions based on client need; and
• Product and Materials Overview” the properties of materials and how they can combine to produce the right product along with a synopsis of commercially available items.

Presenter: C. Kerry Jones, Rehabilitation Designer, ATP
For PowerPoint files or DVDs of the presentation, please use the Contact Us page to request them from the National Office.
[Dimensional Documentation PDF]
[Pelvic Tilt PDF]
[Pelvis and Spine PDF]
[Terminology PDF]

2:45 - 3:15 pm

3:15 - 4:45 pm

“In This Together”
Farming couples will discuss the impact a disability has had on their agricultural operation and what resources have made it possible for them to continue farming.

Panel Members: Herb and Ruth Lange, Dennis and JoAnn Dickman, Don and Judy Delaney

Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) may cause physical, psychological, and/or cognitive limitations. Cindy McGuire will discuss these limitations, treatment strategies and assistive technologies or accommodations that may improve functioning for the farmer with a TBI.

"Heads or Tails", Strategies and Solutions for Seating and Wheeled Mobility, continued

6:00 - 8:00 pm

8:00 - 10:00 pm

Registration

ADM Tour
An offsite tour of the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) greenhouse and aquaculture facility. These research facilities use the by-products from the processing plant in a variety of ways to raise lettuce, cucumbers, fish and even shrimp. As the interest in alternative enterprises expands this tour will provide participants with the opportunity to view production systems under 15 acres of glass and learn some of the positives and challenges of these production systems.

Working Effectively with the Media (Part 1)
Participants will learn how to craft an approach for national, state and local media outlets and individual reporters that will get their messages aired or published. Participants will get hands-on experience with creating and critiquing such messages, which they can take home and use.

Presenters: Gary Beaumont, Team Leader for News and Public Affairs, University of Illinois; Sara Brewster, Easter Seals VP Marketing and Communications; Deborah Denauser, National AgrAbility Project, Marketing and Communications Specialist
[PowerPoint presentation]

Chronic Pain and Depression
Chronic pain wears on an individual and the individual may experience depression as a result of the pain. This session will provide examples of self-help assessment instruments and examples of specific interventions that may help those farmers and ranchers with depression caused by chronic pain. Case scenarios and a question and answer period will be a part of the session.

Presenter: David Weis, Employee Assistance Program, Chestnut Health Systems
[PowerPoint presentation]

Concurrent Sessions

NAP Website Tour
The National AgrAbility Project (NAP) web site offers many tools for state project staff. Learn how to search/add products to the product database, access the AgrAbility Extranet, find staff contact information, or review the AgrAbility listserv archives. For web-related issues, including general web accessibility questions, join the "NAP web site tour".

Presenter: Mark Novak, NAP Agricultural Technologist

Working Effectively with Media (Part 2)
[PowerPoint presentation]

Building or Remodeling a Farmhouse for a Lifetime of Living
(Part 1)
Farm families expect to live in their homes for a lifetime, yet most farmhouses were not designed to accommodate changing needs.  Learn how universal design features and equipment can make farmhouses more convenient, comfortable, and attractive for all family members and help avoid a major remodeling crisis when a disability occurs.  The subtle differences between universal design, visit-able design, and accessible design will be explored.  Low-cost remodeling ideas to improve farmstead accessibility will also be presented.  Resources that will be demonstrated include a complete educational package on Universal Design for Better Living from ISU Extension as well as a 24-foot long display trailer with two life-size bathroom exhibits.

Presenter: Mary H. Yearns, Ph.D., Iowa State Extension Housing Specialist
[PowerPoint presentation]

Gaits not Gates
This session will cover the way normal gait works and how arthritis, stroke or other conditions affect the way a person walks and completes activities using compensations (compensations that often strain other body parts). Also included is how to make recommendations or suggestions to improve the person’s performance of work using adaptive methods or assistive technology. Participants attending the sessions will learn how to make good observations about abnormal gaits and be able to document them in their reports to help justify the need for services or adaptive equipment.

Presenters: Sherril York, Ph.D., Training/Outreach Specialist and Carla Wilhite, OTR/L, Program Specialist, Oklahoma AgrAbility Project
[PowerPoint presentation]

Fund development – What’s working out there?
Program funds are limited, but the workload of the state projects is not. You ask, “How are other projects seeking program funds or leveraging other resources?” This session will offer participants a largely unstructured opportunity in which to exchange information and ideas with colleagues about fundraising efforts – those that have been successful and those that haven’t.

Facilitator: Brett Chornyak, AgrAbility Project Director, Vermont AgrAbility Project; Holly J Cestero, Project Manager, New York AgrAbility
[PowerPoint presentation] Brett Chornyak
[PowerPoint presentation] New York AgrAbility Project

2:45 - 3:15 pm

3:15 - 4:45 pm

Building or Remodeling a Farmhouse for a Lifetime of Living
(Part 2)
A hands on tour of the ISU Extension display trailer with discussion on design accommodations discussed in Part one.

Presenters: Mary H. Yearns, Ph.D., Iowa State Extension Housing Specialist

ATV Operation and Safety
ATVs keep expanding in types, options and accessories available which make them a very appealing machine to use around a farm or ranch. However, these rider active machines require some operational abilities and have a number of safety issues when attaching other equipment or adapting the vehicle. This session will include discussion on the proper use of ATVs, an AgrAbility Unlimited farmer will share his perspectives on using an ATV with his disability and discussion on ATV versus Utility Vehicles (UV).

Presenters: James Wernz, ATV Safety Instructor [PowerPoint presentation] (Note: This powerpoint was provided to the National AgrAbility Project by the ATV Safety Institute. This powerpoint has several images and pictures of ATVs which are not captioned. Therefore, if you are having difficulty viewing this powerpoint with screen reading assistive technology, please contact the ATV Safety Institute for more information.);
R.D. Elder, IL farmer;
Tim Prather, TN Extension Safety Specialist

Hips, Knees and other joints
Dr. Allan will discuss trends in adult joint reconstructive surgery, treatment and follow up, prognosis, and strategies to avoid secondary injuries following surgery.

Presenter: Dr. Gordon Allan, Chair, Program Director and Associate Professor, Division of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

4:45 pm -

8:00 - 11:00 pm

Closing Plenary Session

• USDA CSREES Update – Brad Rein, AgrAbility Program Leader, USDA-CSREES
  [PowerPoint presentation]
• Congressional Update – Jennifer Dexter, Senior Government Relations Specialist, Easter Seals

Use Your Evaluation Information to Communicate Your Results
How does your project identify and achieve goals? How can you tell?

If you would like to learn about Logic Models and Outcome Evaluations before the conference, go to: Enhancing Program Performance with Logic Models

In this session you will:

• Clarify the goals of your state’s project.
• Determine the evidence you need to demonstrate project results.
• Consider ways to better incorporate people with disabilities – especially farmers, ranchers, and producers -- into your state project’s program planning, evaluation and communication.
• Learn how to focus your evaluation energy on outcomes, impacts and results that your funders, persons with disabilities and other program partners value most.
• You will complete the session with next steps for your state project.

Presenter: Heather Boyd, Ph.D., Evaluation Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension.
[PowerPoint presentation]

Leah Nell Adams, NAP Evaluation Specialist
University of Wisconsin Extension

 Bob Aherin, AgrAbility Unlimited Project Leader
University of Illinois Extension

 Mary Beck, NAP Rural Rehabilitation Specialist
University of Wisconsin Extension 

Brenda Besse, Field Coordinator
Northern Illinois, AgrAbility Unlimited

 Elizabeth Burns, Program Assistant Illinois AgrAbility Unlimited  

Mike Brokaw, Program Manager
AgrAbility Unlimited, Easter Seals Illinois 

Doug Carmon, NAP Project Manager
Easter Seals, Inc. 

Deborah Danuser, NAP Marketing and Communications Specialist
Easter Seals, Inc. 

Jan Kelsheimer, President
Easter Seals Illinois 

Sherry Liantonio, NAP Program Assistant
University of Wisconsin Extension

Val McPherson, Development Director
Easter Seals Nebraska

Carol Maus, Director for Rural Solutions
Easter Seals, Inc.

Mark Novak, NAP Evaluation Specialist
University of Wisconsin Extension

Ron Schuler, NAP Evaluation Specialist
University of Wisconsin Extension

Sonia Sherman, Nebraska AgrAbility Program Manager
Easter Seals Nebraska

Don Skinner, Advisory Board Chairman
Illinois AgrAbility Unlimited

Cheryl Skjolaas, NAP Program Manager, University of Wisconsin Extension

Jim Williams, Field Coordinator, Southern Illinois, AgrAbility Unlimited

Therese Willkomm, NAP Assistive Technology Specialist
New Hampshire ATECH Services