Registration is open for the AgrAbility In-Service Workshop in Corvallis, Oregon on February 24-25, 2011. A cooperative effort between the NAP, Goodwill Industries International, and a stakeholder group in Oregon, the workshop will have a similar agenda to the event held at Purdue last April. Topics will include: conducting on-farm assessments, determining the best assistive devices and equipment for customers, and an orientation to AgrAbility for new staff. Participants will engage in hands-on assessment training during farm visits and have the opportunity to present assessment findings to VR staff members.
Visit http://hort.oregonstate.edu/AgrAbility_Oregon_Workshop for more information and to register. The registration fee is $130/person on or before February 14th.
Submitted by Paul Jones
Steve Swain, ATP, the AT Specialist for the NAP and Rural Rehabilitation Specialist for the Indiana Agrability Project, presented two workshops at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference in Schaumburg, Illinois. The first workshop was titled Vocational Rehabilitation Services Specialty Crop Farm Accessibility Case Study, and it examined the resources available to farmers and ranchers with disabilities and went through a case study of a specialty crop farmer. The second presentation was Evaluating Agricultural Workplace Assistive Technology for Secondary Injury Hazards. This presentation introduced Sam Mathew’s assessment tool: Evaluating Agricultural Workplace Assistive Technology for Secondary Injury Hazards.
Submitted by Steve Swain
The national arthritis and agriculture conference planning committee continues working on the Arthritis, Agriculture, and Rural Life: State of the Art Research, Practices, and Applications conference, which will be held at the Purdue University Beck Center in West Lafayette, IN from May 11-13. Designed for professionals from rural areas, this conference will promote the AgrAbility program and discuss how to help clients with arthritis. AgrAbility staff will be invited to speak and attend, as well as invite attendees from their areas. The conference includes a day of farm tours for hands-on applications and experiences. More information will be released as the committee finalizes the schedule, speakers, events, and more. For more information, or to help on the planning committee, please contact Amber Wolfe at awolfe@arthritis.org or at 800-783-2342.
New Exhibit Poster Available! The Arthritis and Agriculture educational poster display is a 30”x40” laminated poster (click here to view PDF), great for use at health fairs, county and state agricultural and 4-H fairs, farm shows, and more. It can easily be mounted using push pins, Velcro squares, or clips. The poster features three full-color photos of farm scenes with information regarding sources of arthritis-causing joint stress in agricultural occupations.
The lower portion of the poster has been left blank so each organization can apply their own logo and contact information or the national contact information can be left on the poster. The poster is the same as the one that was displayed at the NTW in Charleston, and is available for $55.00 plus S&H. If you would like to see a sample, or order a poster, please email Amber Wolfe at awolfe@arthritis.org or call 800-783-2342.