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Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families

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Section 4: State Project Feature—Iowa AgrAbility Project

The Iowa AgrAbility Project is a joint effort of Iowa State University Extension and the Rural Solutions Program of Easter Seals Iowa.

Since 1991, Iowa AgrAbility has been helping farmers and farm families who are affected by disabilities. Their disabilities may be the result of farm or non-farm accidents, or health-related conditions such as stroke, heart attack, arthritis, or cancer. Often these families have been encouraged to pursue another occupation rather than continue farming.

People with disabilities often must overcome significant barriers to remain in farming or farm-related occupations. They may not have access to rehabilitation technology or may not even know if it is available. If they are aware of the technology, they may lack the financial resources to pay for it.

Iowa AgrAbility staff knows that people with disabilities, however, do not have to quit farming. Technology and support services are available and affordable now to help people with disabilities remain in farming and continue living in their own homes. The Iowa AgrAbility Project is one of the resources available to help. A few of the services Iowa AgrAbility offers are listed below:

The Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program is a recently "re-vamped" one-on-one mentoring program. This program pairs a veteran client of the Iowa AgrAbility Project with a new client. Most times, the veteran client is a disabled farmer who previously worked with Iowa AgrAbility, but it can also be a family member of a disabled farmer.

In addition, the Iowa AgrAbility Project is working with the Colorado AgrAbility Project to create training materials for this program. These training materials are used to help the veteran consumer become a better mentor. For example, one of the training modules works with improving communications skills.

Iowa AgrAbility offers on-site assistance in adapting home and farm operations to solve a disability-related problem.

Upon request, Iowa AgrAbility staff will work with individuals and families to make their home accessible. Staff will use existing furnishings and equipment to accommodate specific disabilities at little or no cost. After the changes are made, their homes will still look and feel like "home."

Iowa AgrAbility staff organizes monthly Home Planning Workshops on the Iowa State University campus for people who are building new homes or doing major remodeling.

Five interactive housing exhibits show innovative ways to make homes attractive and accessible, whether they are being built new or remodeled. The exhibits are scheduled for fairs, expos, and other community events throughout Iowa. The "Home for All Ages" includes furnishings and equipment in an actual living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Two bathroom exhibits demonstrate bathing options for persons who use wheelchairs. The Welcoming Home exhibit is a no-step entrance into a home featuring a number of devices for ease of access. The Control Center displays how persons with limited mobility can create a nest from which to control their environment.

This network is made up of volunteers who have experience in designing or fabricating devices or modifications to accommodate disabilities.

AgrAbility Friends and Family is a program of support for Iowa farm families with disabilities. If you or your family has experienced a serious illness or injury, AgrAbility Friends and Family are here to help you.

Iowa AgrAbility Project Staff

Mary Yearns, Ph.D., has served as the Program Coordinator for Iowa AgrAbility since the program's inception in 1991. Yearns is an Extension Housing Specialist and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. Her interests focus on the housing needs of an aging population and persons with disabilities. She is co-designer of "The Home for All Ages," a three-room exhibit that has been shown in Iowa and across the nation. The 40' long, interactive display demonstrates universal design ideas and assistive devices to make homes more convenient, comfortable, and safe for people of all ages and all abilities.
Marcy Thomas has served as Program Specialist for Iowa AgrAbility at Iowa State University since August 2002. Thomas has been involved in Extension through graduate research and teaching assistantships for over three years. She received her Masters of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science with an emphasis in Human Development and Family Studies in May 2002 and worked in the Universal Design Lab on the ISU campus. In addition to her education and experience, Thomas, her husband, and her mother-in-law, have a cow-calf and feedlot operation and raise corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.
Brooke Lovelace has been the Director of Employment and Vocational Services for Easter Seals Iowa for the past seven years. She began working with the Iowa AgrAbility project in September 2002. Lovelace received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University and her Masters of Science degree in Rehabilitative Administration from Drake. She is a huge ISU Cyclone fan!
Chuck Larson serves as Rural Rehabilitation Specialist with Easter Seals Rural Solutions and has been with the Iowa AgrAbility project since 1991. Larson received his Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University in Animal Science and his Masters degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Missouri. Prior to coming to Easter Seals Rural Solutions, he owned and operated a farm near Wasola, Missouri for 10 years.
Tony Wernimont is a Rural Rehabilitation Specialist for Easter Seals and has been with the Iowa AgrAbility project since June 2002. He has a Bachelor of Technology degree in Agricultural Business from Northwest Missouri State. He grew up on a farm west of Sac City, Iowa and is still actively involved in the operation today. On November 16, 1997, Wernimont was involved in a farming incident that resulted in the amputation of his left hand below the wrist.