National AgrAbility Project

NAP recently released an AgrAbility 35-year summary report, Adapting. Not Quitting. This publication, produced in cooperation with Dearing Group, highlights how AgrAbility has helped farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers affected by disability continue working safely and productively since 1991.Through personal stories, program history, research findings, and examples of assistive technology and collaboration, the report illustrates AgrAbility’s national impact and its practical, people-centered approach to agricultural work.

The report also highlights measurable outcomes, including improvements in quality of life, independence, and mental well-being among AgrAbility participants, along with the partnerships that make this work possible across the country.

Please feel free to share the attached PDF version with others and post it on websites or social media. A screen-reader friendly HTML version is also available at www.agrability.org/35years, so please include a link to that version in any posting.

Forbes released its 2026 Accessibility 200 list in May, and AgrAbility is honored to be included.

“The Forbes Accessibility 200 highlights the biggest innovators and impact-makers in accessibility, from juggernauts like Microsoft to VC-seeking startups. Based on more than 700 interviews and input from an expert advisory board across all sectors of business and society, the list highlights companies, individuals, and organizations that make the world more available to everyone.”

As with last year’s Forbes Accessibility 100 list, this recognition belongs to everyone involved in the AgrAbility Program—not only the National AgrAbility Project, but also the State/Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAPs). Although the format of the list required a single organizational location to be identified (in this case, NAP’s), we emphasized during the selection process the importance, collaboration, and national reach of both NAP and the SRAP network. 

AgrAbility joins an impressive group of organizations on this year’s list, including Amazon, MIT, Google, Netflix, Ottobock, and Sony.

Please feel free to share this news. However, please do not use the Forbes logo or other licensable Forbes images, as doing so requires a substantial licensing fee. You may also notice that the Forbes listing itself contains limited information about AgrAbility; expanded profile content likewise requires a significant fee. If you would like guidance on promoting this recognition appropriately, please contact jonesp@purdue.edu.

Samantha Wolfe would love to get the monthly Extension check-in back on the books at a better time that works for more people! Please complete the poll at https://www.when2meet.com/?36899499-bAyrx to provide your general availability. (Note that the poll was set up in Eastern time; it may auto adjust to your time zone.)

Great for both new and seasoned staff, it's a chance ask questions, share successes, challenges, or ideas, and continue to build a strong network of coordinators, Extension staff, and other SRAP partners within the AgrAbility project. 

Email Samantha Wolfe at wolfesa4@msu.edu with questions or ideas for the meetup.

At Ease Orchard's American VetFarm Network is building a national network to support beginning veteran farmers and other beginning farmers through education, technical assistance, peer connection, and resource navigation.

The American VetFarm Network was recently highlighted during an AgrAbility staff meeting, where the initiative shared its vision for supporting veterans interested in agriculture and identified strong opportunities for collaboration around veteran outreach, adaptive farming support, and referral pathways for producers with physical challenges.

American VetFarm Network Program Director Kate Bowen is a farmer, AgrAbility client, and member of the 2026 Tennessee AgrAbility Advisory Board, bringing firsthand perspective on accessibility and adaptive farming. The network's leadership also includes close ties to a disabled U.S. Army veteran and AgrAbility client, further strengthening its understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges facing veteran farm families.

Organized around the VetFarm Compass, the American VetFarm Network is designed to help veterans interested in agriculture find their bearings, understand available pathways, and connect with the right resources at the right time through education, technical assistance, partner referrals, and peer connection.

Veterans interested in learning more are encouraged to connect through At Ease Orchard at ateaseorchard.org or contact Joe Ricker at joericker@ateaseorchard.com or Kate at kate@ateaseorchard.com.