Focus - National AgrAbility - AgrAbility Quarterly

Focus – National AgrAbility

AgrAbility, at both the state and national levels, brings the knowledge and expertise of agricultural and disability professionals together to assist the farmer, rancher, farm worker or family member with a disability to remain employed in production agriculture.

Map of AgrAbility funded states.

Current AgrAbility funded states are solidly shaded, and AgrAbility affiliates are dotted.

The AgrAbility Project was established in the 1990 Farm Bill, and is administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Today there are twenty-one USDA funded state projects in twenty-two states, and more than 150 staff members. AgrAbility affiliates, formerly funded by USDA, continue to provide limited services in five states. Each USDA funded project is a partnership between a land grant university cooperative extension and a disability services organization, such as:

Easter Seals Affiliates
Independent Living Centers
Arthritis Foundation Chapters
Assistive Technology Foundations
Vocational Rehabilitation Centers
Centers for People with Disabilities

The work of NAP is guided by the three grant priorities that the USDA/CSREES has established: education, networking, and assistance. National staff see their role as serving many audiences; state AgrAbility staff who provide direct services to farmers, ranchers and their families with disabilities, service providers across the country, decision makers in agriculture, health, and government programs, and the general public. NAP strives to develop and disseminate pertinent agricultural, technological and disability-related tools, and resources that can be used by any of these audiences to help a farmer remain in agriculture.

Building Service Capacity Through Education

Building service capacity means sharing AgrAbility’s mission and the knowledge the project has gained on accommodating disabilities and preventing secondary injuries among agricultural workers to create a greater network that understands and can provide services to our farmers and ranchers with disabilities. Here are a few examples of how NAP has implemented this goal:

Educated health care professionals, specifically occupational and physical therapists, about farming or ranching with a disability, farm culture and values, and available tools, resources and assistive technology that can help a farmer or rancher remain in farming despite a disability:

Developed an OT/PT training manual for face-to-face training and an online continuing education course with input from state projects. In addition, a workgroup of educators in OT/PT pre-service university programs has formed to develop pre-service university level curricula.
Assisted eight state projects that have hosted OT/PT training seminars of six hours to two days in duration in 2007.

Educated government service providers:

Presented at two public hearings of Ticket to Work (TTW) Advisory Panels to inform staff at the Social Security Administration (SSA), TTW and Work Incentives programs about the limitations current work incentives present for farmers on SSA disability benefits who wish to return to work.
Facilitated discussions and information sharing with Council of State Administrators in Vocational Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Services Administration, National Association of Workforce Boards, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Arthritis Council.

Educated agricultural professionals:

Established a technical committee, “Assistive Technology for Farmers with Disabilities Technology Exchange,” in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Building Service Capacity Through Networking

Networking activities foster mutually beneficial relationships between AgrAbility and other national and regional health organizations that are dedicated to helping people affected by disabilities, disease, or chronic conditions, as well as agricultural and trade organizations. Examples of past resource sharing activities are:

Collaborated with the American Chronic Pain Association to provide free seminars to interested state projects, as well as regularly sharing resources through various communications outlets, such as listservs, newsletters, and web tools.
Developed recommendations for Durable Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers about secondary injury issues for farmers/ranchers with lower and/or upper extremity amputations and farmers/ranchers using wheelchairs.
Staffed a booth and presented at numerous conferences and meetings of national health care organizations including American Occupational Therapy Association, United Spinal Association, the American Council of the Blind, and others.
Convened an annual workgroup of national health care organizations to discuss opportunities for further collaboration and growth in both national and regional chapters.

Building a solid volunteer base and peer support program is another networking activity that can foster a mutually beneficial relationship and build service capacity. National AgrAbility authored a Volunteer Coordinators Manual and, in cooperation with several state projects, piloted a peer support “train the trainer” workshop and manual. Six states have conducted peer support volunteer trainings thus far.

Providing Technical Assistance to Farmers/Ranchers and to State AgrAbility Projects

NAP staff provide consultative services and technical assistance to farmers/ranchers with disabilities, in AgrAbility and non-AgrAbility funded states, to increase the likelihood that they experience success in their farm/ranch operations. NAP typically provides direct assistance through phone inquiries and email requests. Gary Wical’s story is one example of NAP’s direct client assistance to farmers/ranchers. Other examples include information and referral for rehabilitation services, prescription drug assistance, business plan development, and assistive technology and product information.

Services are also provided to other agencies and organizations that provide services and supports for farmers/ranchers with disabilities, such as extension agents, VR counselors, and risk management specialists. As an example, VR counselors in both Montana and Arkansas contacted NAP for assistance with a farm site assessment in their states. NAP staff contacted Colorado and Oklahoma AgrAbility staff who were able to conduct the assessment and help the farmer in a non-AgrAbility funded state. Also, Mark Novak, NAP engineer and agricultural technologist, along with Paul Leverenz of AgrAbility of Wisconsin, were asked to give a two-day training workshop on “how to conduct farm site assessments” for eight rural VR counselors in North Dakota.

NAP offers assistance to state project staff to increase their knowledge and skills in providing direct education and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers. The national staff uses several avenues to disseminate information and resources:

Annual National Training Workshop with up to twenty-four sessions in three different topic areas: assistive technology, health/disability, and professional development.
Farm site assessment training that provides best practices in conducting an assessment.
AgrAbility listserv which encourages sharing of information.
Quarterly newsletters that highlight a successful AgrAbility client and AgrAbility’s involvement, that includes either a disability or agriculture focus piece, and an assistive technology fact sheet.
NAP website (www.agrabilityproject.org) which consists of an agriculture-related assistive technology searchable database with approximately 950 products, tip sheets, product comparison datasheets, health and disability resources, and more.
Demographic data for all state projects that reflect the work of AgrAbility nationwide.

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Section 1: Client Story Section 2: Focus – National AgrAbility Section 3: Meet Our Staff	Section 4: Who Do I Contact If... Section 5: Contacts