July saw Colorado AgrAbility (CAP) staff attending a meeting for new DVR self-employment counselors where staff were able to discuss expectations with respect to self-employment cases and clarify administrative rules. Candy, the CO AgrAbility program manager, is hopeful that these meetings will help AgrAbility and DVR work more closely in service to their joint clients.
Fall is approaching, and with it, the new school year. As in the past few years, staff are in the planning stage for acceptance of a new OT intern from the CSU OT school. The past few have been very excited with the work and some have stated that working with rural agricultural workers might be a good fit for them after graduation.
APRIL is coming to Denver this Fall. The annual APRIL conference will be held in Denver during October 2018. The Colorado AgrAbility project will attend in a cooperative fashion with the NAP and also with its local assistive technology partners.
Staff at CAP have for some time been aware of the farm stress effect in the mental wellness of rural agricultural operators and workers. An additional component of that is the overuse of opioid medications, both legally and illegally obtained. Accordingly, CAP has put out feelers to the rural health providers in hopes of forming partnerships to share resources and ideas. Staff have been contacted by a food coop provider in Montrose, CO, who is putting on a one-day seminar on "Healthy Fields, Farmers, and Futures." CAP has been asked to address the group and to present on stress on the farm.
Submitted by Jim Craig