Karen Funkenbusch presented two posters at the 2017 International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) conference in Logan, Utah. Her first professional poster was titled, "University of Missouri Extension, Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farmer's Outreach Program, and Brain Injury Association of Missouri Contribute to Improved Employment Outcomes for Missouri Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities through Cooperation, Collaboration, and Coordination", and the second poster was titled, "Client Perspectives - How the Missouri AgrAbility program Affects Their lives."
In the month of June, paraprofessional Kate Smith did a number of things to serve AgrAbility. Her first activity involved sending letters to both Missouri state senators and all Missouri state representatives to provide them with useful information pertaining to AgrAbility. She also mailed out informational packets to 100 veterans with disabilities, inviting them to participate in the upcoming July 20th Understanding the Alphabet Soup of USDA Programs workshop. She also provided Missouri's programmatic material to be used at the NACAA trade show in Salt Lake City. Kate learned a lot along the way; she was able to increase her knowledge of hearing and vision loss while discovering ways to implement solutions for clients whose health concerns show correlation. She attended the 'Ask a Doc Series: Hearing Loss Presentation' at Provision Living in Columbia where she listened to Audiologist Jamie Sutton discuss the causes, prevention, treatments, and hearing aid options for detrimental hearing loss victims. Kate also attended the AgrAbility Webinar Series webinar "Preserving and Maximizing Vision: Low and High Tools in Vision Rehabilitation." Both seminars provided useful information that Kate could then apply to clients as she began to switch from behind-the-scenes to working more directly with clients. Kate learned how to administer pre- McGill questionnaires to new AgrAbility clients in addition to witnessing three "onsite" farmstead assessments facilitated by David Middleton, AgrAbility onsite assessor, and Jim Brinkmann, district supervisor for Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. Direct "onsite" farmstead assistance was also provided by Sherry Nelson, local University of Missouri regional Extension specialist, and student paraprofessional Monica Strawn. In the near future, Kate will also administer post- McGill Survey questionnaires to "only" those farmers and ranchers with disabilities who were provided a direct "onsite" farmstead assessment.
Submitted by Karen Funkenbusch
Maureen Cunningham with the Brain Injury Association of Missouri (BIA-MO) participated at the Federal Reserve - St. Louis Safety Fair on June 6, 2017. Farm safety and the Missouri AgrAbility Project were highlighted in display material and conversations with visitors. An estimated 300 Federal Reserve - St. Louis employees visited exhibit booths at the safety fair.
In addition to youth learning about concussions at the Redbird Rookies Health Fair hosted by Cardinals Care on June 18, 2017, BIA-MO Volunteers shared information about safety practices in urban and rural areas. Approximately 1,000 youth attended the event and learned about safety on behalf of BIA-MO and the Missouri AgrAbility Project.
Submitted by Maureen Cunningham