AgrAbility staff members, especially new ones, may benefit from materials on the old NAP site established by the University of Wisconsin. At fyi.uwex.edu/agrability, several resources are available, including a peer support handbook, and AgrAbility service delivery manual, a guide to financing assistive technology, and several AT fact sheets.
Not all the policies and procedures listed in these resources may be held by the current NAP at Purdue. If you have questions about specifics, please contact Paul Jones at jonesp@purdue.edu.
Submitted by Paul Jones
Goodwill is planning a number of professional in-service trainings for 2012 to be hosted by local Goodwills in states that do not currently have AgrAbility projects. In the next several months, professional in-service events will be held in Arizona, Alabama, Iowa and South Carolina to inform a broad range of AgrAbility stakeholders about the tools and resources available through the National AgrAbility Project and to help rural farmers and ranchers in non-AgrAbility states have access to support and information. Look for more details on dates and locations in the near future.
Goodwill is also planning a Northeast AgrAbility Workshop for late spring that will focus on training staff of SRAP, Goodwills, and other community based organizations about building AgrAbility resources for returning veterans. Over 40% of veterans hail from rural America, and many return with unique support needs to integrate back into their communities. AgrAbility can be a tremendous tool to support these individuals. Look for more details on this important training opportunity in the near future.
In February, Goodwill will host an informational booth at the 2012 Western Stream Migration conference in Portland, Oregon. This event focuses on ways that the agricultural, medical, and rehabilitation communities can support migrant and seasonal farm workers who labor in the western United States.
Submitted by Eric Olson
Amber Wolfe, AgrAbility coordinator for the Arthritis Foundation, attended the American AgriWomen National Convention in Wichita, Kansas, November 11-13. Kerri Ebert, from Kansas AgrAbility, brought several examples of AT and assisted Amber with the educational booth. Amber also gave a session on Arthritis and Agriculture and had a brief interview with the social media chair of the conference to get Twitter updates sent out regarding AgrAbility.
Amber Wolfe gave a 90-minute presentation on Arthritis and Agriculture at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, December 4-5. In addition to her presentation, she was asked to give a 10-minute interview for a farm broadcast radio station based in Peoria, Illinois.
Submitted by Amber Wolfe