In 1969, Paul Carruba began raising ducks on the 12-acre farm that has been in his family since his grandfather worked the farm. Over the years his operation has increased in size and complexity. He started by raising a small flock of ducks to sell to local stores and individuals. Currently, Carruba runs a hatchery that produces 5000 to 6000 ducks per year and over 400 eggs each day. He markets the eggs to local stores and individuals and to other hatcheries as far away as Missouri and Ohio. In 1970 Carruba was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ultimately results in blindness. The condition advanced relatively slowly over the next 30 years. Today he has about five percent of his peripheral vision left.

In 1999, to accommodate his declining vision, Carruba purchased a much-needed new incubator with touch screen controls for monitoring and adjusting its environment. As his vision became more and more compromised, he found it difficult to see the settings on the screen. He contacted the state division of vocational rehabilitation (VR) to ask for assistance. Carruba worked with Francis Lee, his VR counselor. They determined that he needed to modify the incubator’s touch screen control panel in order for him to read it. During one of their first discussions, Ms. Lee referred him to the Mississippi AgrAbility Project. Lee says that she is thankful for the assistance of AgrAbility. Without it, she is not sure Carruba would have found a way to continue his poultry operation.

AgrAbility staff learned that in addition to limited vision, Carruba has chronic pain and diminished lifting strength as a result of a 2002 car accident in which he sustained a ruptured disk between his fifth and sixth spinal vertebrae. Although surgery to fuse the disks would likely eliminate chronic pain and make it easier for him to lift heavy objects, it would also make it much more difficult for him to turn his head, which he needs to be able to do in order to make use of his limited vision.

AgrAbility staff discovered that every two weeks, Carruba ordered six tons of feed for the ducks, which came in 50-pound bags. Given his limited strength, the bags were difficult for him to maneuver. AgrAbility staff suggested that he install bulk feed bins and use a feed wagon to distribute the feed. The feed bins selected were commercial units from Polydome (see insert) made of high-density polyethylene plastic. Bins of this type were chosen because they permit minimal corrosion, leakage, and sweating inside them. In the humid Gulf region, these factors are important considerations. The feed wagon he chose is one that can be hitched to the back of his tractor, pulled up to the Polydome bins, filled, and then driven to the feeding areas. It has a round tank with a bottom auger to move feed into individual feeders in the yard. Carruba will be able to carry out the feeding using this system without straining his back. He is pleased with the help he received from Mississippi AgrAbility staff, and says, “I didn’t know the range of possibilities that were available until AgrAbility [staff] showed me.”

In addition to helping Carruba find an appropriate feeding system, the AgrAbility staff helped him find a way to modify the touch screen on his incubator. They explored the use of a Jordy (a small, closed-circuit TV magnification system that requires use of a headset) but it did not effectively meet Carruba’s needs. The Jordy requires the user to have some central vision to see the item being magnified, and Carruba has only his peripheral vision. After trying several modifications of the Jordy system, they settled on using a commercially available camcorder set up in front of the touch screen. The image will then run through a closed circuit 13" color TV. The set up will be placed on a rolling tripod system so that Carruba can move it in and out of place when he needs to access the door to the incubator.

With the assistance of his wife, Sharon, and two teenage sons, Paul Jr. and Alex, Carruba is able to continue running the operation.