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July 2016

Utah

Dr. Michael Pate presented the poster Farm and Ranch Policy for Vocational Rehabilitation at the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) annual conference June 26-30 in Lexington, Kentucky. Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs are the leading source of assistance for acquiring employment-related assistive technology (AT) for people with disabilities, but disconnects between rehabilitation counselors and the agricultural community often make efficient service delivery difficult. Educating counselors and formalizing a policy for working with agricultural AT professionals can greatly improve access to services for people with disabilities who work in agriculture.


In June, AgrAbility of Utah staff continued visits to Utah State Office of Rehabilitation (USOR) offices. The purpose of the visits is to present to all of Utah's vocational rehabilitation counselors about AgrAbility services and the partnership between USOR and AgrAbility of Utah. USOR recently updated their Farm and Ranch Policy that defines the purpose and process for working together to serve clients who work in agriculture. These presentations give AgrAbility staff an opportunity to provide training and to respond to questions from USOR staff.

Submitted by Ann Brown-Reither