National AgrAbility Project News

The new AgrAbility brochure has been printed and copies have been sent to each SRAP.

Goodwill Industries is hosting a two-day in-service training at the headquarters of the Roanoke VA Goodwill on August 23 & 24.More

The NAP and several SRAPs played a significant role in the recently held 2010 National Institute for Farm Safety Annual Conference in Wilmington, NC.More

AgrAbility was represented at the annual ASABE International Meeting by the NAP and several SRAPs. More

The NAP was an exhibitor at the annual RESNA conference in Las Vegas, and several other AgrAbiltiy staff members also attended. More

The NAP is in the process of developing a new video that can be used by all Projects, and interviews were recently conducted in Oklahoma. More

In order to keep SRAP contact information on the NAP website current and up to date, could you please take a minute and check your state entry to see if there are any changes in staff or contact info? http://agrability.org/contact-list/index.html. Please email Liz Semmel esemmel@purdue.edu with any changes and remember to notify us as your program information needs to be revised. Thank you!

Hotel reservations can now be made for the 2010 NTW. More

Check here for the schedule of upcoming Community of Interest and Standing Committee call information. More

State and Regional AgrAbility Project News

Wyoming

University of Wyoming/Wyoming AgrAbility staff provided “AgrAbility: Ag and Assistive Technology Tools” training to 14 Occupational Therapy students from the University of North Dakota at Casper College on May 6, 2010. The A.T. devices primarily addressed safety issues for ranching and farming.

West Virginia

Staff helped wrap up another successful season of Farm Safety Days on June 12th in Preston County.  This year’s Farm Safety Days were well attended.  This allowed AgrAbility to reach many of our state youth and future farmers.  Staff focused on injury prevention, assistive technology, and general farm safety practices. 

Caring for Caregivers: Tools for Caregivers in Rural Areas was presented at the Summer Institute on Aging on June 9th in Morgantown.More

Staff participated in a statewide discussion with the Arthritis Foundation Ohio River Valley Chapter, which includes West Virginia, on how to increase arthritis awareness across West Virginia.

Wisconsin

Check out the Assistive Technology Database. It  is active on the UWEX FYI AgrAbility site:  http://fyi.uwex.edu/assistivetech/ More 

Vermont

The annual Strolling of the Heifers was a great success. VT AgrAbility staffed a booth along the “mile of heifers” route.  Over 50,000 people attended this one of a kind bovine event.

Ohio

Ohio AgrAbility has partnered with the OSU School of Occupational Therapy on a project to provide arthritis screenings for farmers across the state. The project will also provide information and resources on farming with arthritis. Over the next couple of months the arthritis screenings will take place at several county fairs, the Ohio State Fair and the Ohio Farm Science Review.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma AgrAbility participated in the Lane Ag Center Public Field Day June 12, 2010 at the Wes Watkins Ag Research & Extension Center in Lane, OK (Atoka County)  Information regarding available services, funding resources and assistive technology for farmers and ranchers with disabilities was presented.

Sandra Stevenson, Program Manager, completed the RESNA Fundamentals Course in Assistive Technology while at the RESNA Conference on June 26-27 and the International Symposium on Quality of Life Technology in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Missouri

Jackie Allenbrand continues to disseminate AgrAbility information, AgrAbility/PHARM Dog brochures, and MERIL resource materials throughout the Northwest region. More

Jackie also has been actively coordinating 13 PHARM Dog/AgrAbility consumer cases in the Central and Southwest regions.  This summer, she will assist Don Schuster, statewide assistive technology coordinator, to help facilitate AgrAbility/PHARM Dog on-the-farm assessments.

Don Schuster is busy traveling the state providing oversight and case management for services and assistance to farmers, ranchers, lifestyle farmers, and their families with disabilities.More

Russell and Wanda Ramsey, Volunteer and Farmer Liaison continue to distribute AgrAbility information and resource materials to social services agencies and disability organizations throughout the Southeast region.More

Willard Downs organized an AgrAbility meeting for Missouri team members from Extension, CIL, and the Volunteer and Farmer Liaison.More

Willard Downs and Karen Funkenbusch provided AgrAbility information and programmatic materials to ten farm outreach workers for the Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program at Lincoln University.More

Karen Funkenbusch co-presented at the 7th Annual Summer Institute in Assistive Technology and Transition Workshop on the University of Kentucky Campus, Lexington, Kentucky.More

Twenty five farmers, ranchers, and lifestyle farmers as well as social organizations and services providers participated in an AgrAbility Workshop co-hosted by the Missouri AgrAbility Project and ACCESS II, local independent living center in Gallatin.More

Karen Funkenbusch presented six, two hour AgrAbility Gardens For Every Body seminars on “How to Use Tools & Techniques for Easier Gardening” for women from faith-based organizations.More

Minnesota

The Minnesota AgrAbility Team met at the 53rd Annual MN Inventors’ Congress on June 11, 2010 in Redwood Falls, MN as judges for the inventions.More

Mid Atlantic

In April,, the Mid-Atlantic AgrAbility Project held an Arthritis workshop titled “Is It Arthritis—Or Is It Lyme Disease?” in Salisbury, Md.More

Indiana

The Breaking New Ground Outreach Program/Indiana AgrAbility Project awarded four FFA Chapters cash prizes for their projects entered in the Bridging Horizons FFA Contest. More

Ed Bell, consultant for the Breaking New Ground Outreach Program/Indiana AgrAbility Project and National AgrAbility Project, is a proud father. More

An exhibit booth was staffed by Amber Wolfe at the Indiana Rural Health Association annual conference (June 15-16).  Numerous local health fair booths and farmer’s market visits have been made in the past month.

Staff Changes

Wisconsin

Alina Soto will be working with AgrAbility of Wisconsin for the summer months.  Alina will be helping with client intake and data entry tasks.  If any offices have changed addresses or are not receiving the “Plowing Ahead” newsletter in hard copy form, send us an email at aaw@mailplus.wisc.edu and Alina will make sure to get you on the mailing list.  If you would like to receive an electronic copy, please let us know.  Alina will also be updating the website as time permits.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma AgrAbility welcomes Lynn Jeffries, PT, Ph.D., PCS, Associate Professor.  She is the Program Director for the Langston University, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and joins Oklahoma AgrAbility as a Co-Director.  Dr. Jeffries has participated in research related to teaming and therapy services for children with cerebral palsy; coordinated several training grants and service contracts; and has taught in both professional and post-professional educational programs. 

California

Gloria Anaya, Bilingual Outreach Assistant, joined CalAgrAbility June 21st. She will assist our staff and consumers throughout the summer with outreach events and research.

AgrAbility in the News

Click here for news stories featuring AgrAbility projects

• Good Earth Farms reaching consumers nationwide
• Special partners & A different breed of farmhand
• PHARM Dog program
• Rolling past the competition
• Disability:the mother of inventions
• Butler Grange learns about "AgrAbility"

Other News

Click here for other news of interest to AgrAbility staff members

• Wyndham hotel in Austin offers autism-aware rooms
• Bionic British Cat Gets Faux Paws

Upcoming Events

Click here for professional development events related to AgrAbility

Problems? Contact Clifford Racz, National AgrAbility Project, racz@purdue.edu