More About AgrAbility
Posted July 29, 2011 by Mandy Smith in Consumer Education, Independent Living
The following information is from the National AgrAbility Project. If you would like to look through some of the AgrAbility resources, you may visit the RCIL Resource Library in Osage City or visit the AgrAbility Project website at www.agrability.org.
In November, we shared a little information with you about a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture called AgrAbility, and we’d like to share a little more with you about this great program.
AgrAbility provides assistance to farmers, ranchers, other agricultural workers, and farm family members impacted by disability. The program serves individuals who are limited by any type of physical, cognitive, or illness-related disability, such as:
- Amputation,
- Arthritis,
- Back impairment,
- Deafness/Hearing Impairment,
- Developmental disabilities,
- Disabling diseases,
- Mental/behavioral health problems,
- Respiratory diseases,
- Spinal cord injuries,
- Stroke,
- Traumatic brain injury, and
- Visual impairment.
To support individuals, AgrAbility offers the following services at no cost to consumers:
- Conducting on-site assessments to identify barriers to completing tasks both in the agricultural workplace and the home.
- Recommending appropriate assistive technologies (equipment/tools/devices), modified work practices, and/or other possible solutions to overcoming disability-related limitations.
- Providing access to informational materials on a variety of topics related to disability and agriculture,
- Providing education/training opportunities through workshops, conferences, seminars, and online programs.
- Referring consumers to other service providers for potential assistance (e.g. financial, rehabilitative, educational) specific to the clients’ needs.
- Arranging for peer support opportunities that connect consumers with others who have successfully accommodated their disabilities.
If you would like additional resources about AgrAbility, you can visit the project website at www.agrability.org or call the National AgrAbility Project at 1.800.825.4264. You may also call an RCIL Information & Referral Specialist at 1.800.580.7245 or you can stop by the Resource Library at our office in Osage City for a variety of resources related to AgrAbility.
