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Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families

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Winter 2007 , Vol. 7, No. 2

Table of Contents at bottom PDF Version

Oklahoma AgrAbility was launched in 2002 as a partnership combining the agricultural, disability, and assistive technology expertise of four organizations: Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, Langston University, Oklahoma Assistive Technology Foundation, and Oklahoma ABLE Tech.

As Oklahoma AgrAbility connected with farmers and ranchers around rural health care, the most serious concerns identified included  cost and availability of health insurance, cost of prescription medications, lack of doctors, lack of 911 access, and prevalence of general poor health conditions. More than 50 percent of Oklahoma AgrAbility participants have arthritis or are pre-disposed to arthritis. Reaching out to meet these gaps in service Oklahoma AgrAbility launched several programs to address these issues head-on.

Rehabilitating the Oklahoma Farmer and Rancher Workshops
A workshop targeting occupational and physical therapists is held annually on the main campus of OSU to increase the competency of health care professionals in assisting agricultural workers to return to agricultural work and lifestyle activities. Occupational and physical therapists receive continuing education credits for licensure continuation upon completing the workshop.  About 30 participants attend each year.

Workshop topics include an introduction to the AgrAbility Project; an introduction and description of agricultural settings, work tasks and lifestyle considerations; assistive technology in agriculture; how to complete an on-farm evaluation and develop treatment strategies using case studies.  Participants also visit two of the OSU farms to explore specific tasks and environments similar to those their clients may be exposed to. Oklahoma AgrAbility’s ingenuity in developing this program with the Missouri AgrAbility Project has helped make Oklahoma a resource for other AgrAbility Projects.

Peer Support Network
The Oklahoma AgrAbility Support Network provides encouragement and assistance to agricultural families impacted by disability issues by connecting farmers and ranchers with disabilities to other farmers and ranchers who have successfully coped with a disabling condition. The fundamental goal of the support network is to keep people with disabilities working in their chosen agricultural occupation.

Peer supporters share experiences and information about acquiring and using assistive technology; working with rehabilitation and financial agencies; and how to successfully adapt to living with a disability and cope with potential side effects a disability may lead to, including depression, anxiety, stress and medical expenses.

Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
The Oklahoma AgrAbility Project and Oklahoma Assistive Technology Foundation (501(c)(3) nonprofit) was awarded a Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. The grant was used to establish a fund to provide low-cost assistive technology to Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and their family members who lack the services and resources needed to obtain adaptive or assistive devices.  The Assistive Technology Grant Program for Farmers with Disabilities continues through donations.