National Project

Gail Deboy, NAP Project Engineer, is scheduled to present a paper at The Clock Is Ticking for Rural America: A Behavioral Health & Safety Conference sponsored by AgriWellness, Inc.  Gail’s paper is titled “Addressing Mental/Behavioral Health Issues in the Agricultural Population Impacted by Disabilities through the USDA-Sponsored AgrAbility Program.”  The conference is scheduled for August 3-5, 2009, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and more information is available at www.agriwellness.org/ConfInfo.htm. AgrAbility staff who want to learn more about behavioral/mental health in relation to farm, ranch and rural settings might consider attending.

Submitted by: Gail Deboy

AgrAbility will be represented at several national events in June, including:

• Amputee Coalition of America Annual Conference. Kathy Waldera of the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory will represent the NAP.
• National Institute on Farm Safety (NIFS). Bill Field will represent AgrAbility, along with several staff members from SRAPs.
• RESNA Annual Conference. Steve Swain will give a presentation on working with veterans and will staff a display.
• ASABE Annual International Meeting. Sam Mathew will give a presentation on assistive technology assessments, and Bill Field will be honored as an ASABE Fellow.
• Goodwill Industries 2009 Delegate Assembly. Eric Olson, Bill Field, and Paul Jones will represent AgrAbility and have the BNG accessible tractor on hand.

Submitted by: Paul Jones