National AgrAbility Project

Farm Bill update: both the Senate and the House agriculture committees have included continuation of the AgrAbility in their initial drafts of the new Farm Bill. The House version also recommends increased funding for the program.

Below are links to the respective summary documents:

• Senate: "Extends the authorization of appropriations through fiscal year 2029 for the Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities." https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/rural_prosperity_and_food_security_section-by-section.pdf p. 54
• House: "Improves and reauthorizes the Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities (AgrAbility) based on a concept from H.R. 4586" https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/detailed_summary_.pdf p. 23

For details on H.R. 4586, see https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hr4586/BILLS-118hr4586ih.pdf

Submitted by Paul Jones

Registration is open for the regional workshop/assistive technology professional training in Ann Arbor, MI, July 16-18. This workshop is provided in conjunction with MI AgrAbility and will focus on assistive technology and preparing for the RESNA Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) exam. Registration is limited to 50 people, so please register early to guarantee your spot. Registration will be open through Tuesday, July 9th or until space is filled. Sessions will include disability etiquette; medical conditions; assessment models, interview, observations, and reports; and assistive technology for farming. The group will complete an assessment at a local farm to apply lessons learned in the training.

All attendees will receive a one-year RESNA membership ($185 value) and may be eligible for up to 10 RESNA-certified CEU's after successful completion of the training.

More information is available on the NAP website regional workshop page https://bit.ly/4aWfxZx, including the registration link, hotel information, and agenda.

Submitted by Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

A few of the wonderful comments NAP has received from farmers attending this year's NTW in Atlanta:

• North Dakota - "I can't thank you and your team enough for the incredible experience at the AgrAbility National Training Workshop. It's a community that it feels so wonderful to belong to that we didn't even know existed. Truly, a life-changing trip, albeit shorter than we had planned. Thank you all for your patience as we navigated our journey to Atlanta after/during the blizzard. I am SO glad we stayed determined to attend!"
• Indiana - "I want to thank you again for the invite. It really opened my eyes to a few things. Met some interesting, intelligent, and hard-working people. I appreciate that!!"
• Washington D.C. - "...thank you so much for everything. I have been sharing my experiences with the AgrAbility conference to everyone and making changes to the farm. I have farmers who are interested in the next conference."
• Georgia - "I really enjoyed the conference and the connections that I made are invaluable. Attending allowed me to meet some people in person that I had worked with virtually... Thank you again for a great experience."
• Hawaii - "It was the best conference ever. Hope to go next year. "
• New Mexico - "We had an amazing time at NTW - please thank all who worked so hard to hold the event."

Submitted by Chuck Baldwin