Tennessee

TN AgrAbility participated in the annual educational day at the TN Technology Access Program's Resource Ability Assistive Technology Fair. This event connects Tennesseans with disabilities, educators, employers, and practitioners with innovative assistive technology that can improve and increase their independence. Thank you to Tim Shaw, former NFL player, ALS warrior and present Tennessee Titan for Life. Tim provided humor and inspiration as the keynote speaker. "You have a choice. What are you going to do? Are you going to stand up and fight for your life? Or are you going to accept what someone else tells you is reality and just fade away?" -Tim Shaw. The Tennessee Technology Access Program (TTAP) is available to help Tennesseans find assistive technology devices and services anytime. Get started at TN.Gov/HumanServices/DS/Ttap.html.

It was a beautiful fall training day with the TN AgrAbility (TNAP) team at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville, TN, on October 29. Twenty-four Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Counselors participated in agriculture assistive technology training that will enable farmers with disabilities to continue their farming operation. The Down on the Farm Workshop was designed for the TN state funding partners at the TN Division of Rehabilitation Services/Vocational Rehabilitation (DRS or DVR) to learn about TN AgrAbility. This pilot program reached three of the nine regions of DRS in Tennessee. TNAP's goal was to increase referrals and capacity of DRS counselors to provide rehabilitation and assistive technology services related to farming and successful employment outcomes for farmers with disabilities. Our thanks to the many who assisted and provided ideas for the training: Farm Again GA, Missouri AgrAbility, Nebraska AgrAbility, National AgrAbility, Walt Hitch, Plateau AgResearch and Education Director and staff, Gregg Upchurch, Cumberland County UT Extension Ag Agent, John Swandal with Target Mobility for bringing the outdoor wheelchairs, TrackMaster and the Amylior R3 power chair, and Farm Credit Mid-America for their continued support of TN AgrAbility, our farmers, lunch sponsorship and speaking about their services.

It was a bittersweet day delivering an Action Trackchair to Teresa, a sheep farmer in Hawkins County. This was a special day seeing her independently accessing the sheep barn and her hilly farm since her car accident that made her paraplegic in 2013. She reacted "It will never be the same and I can't wait to help with lambing season again." Thank you to Vernon Goad's family who thoughtfully donated the DRS state-funded wheelchair back to us to give to another farmer after his passing. The best days are delivering much needed assistive technology equipment to farmers who need these items.

Thank you to Cheryl Tevis for the great article and Jason Barber, a TN AgrAbility legally blind cattle farmer who always advocates to help others and who shared his story in the 2024 AgrAbility Harvest; "A Closer Look"; "Finding a Way Forward, Limited Sight Doesn't Limit Determination".

Jason says "I'm so thankful to AgrAbility, Voc Rehab, STAR, and Extension... "I hit the motherlode. I'm still learning and adapting to do what I need. Technology provides me with a lot of my independence and is always changing."

Submitted by TN AgrAbility