Serving the Needs of Nebraska's Farm and Ranch Families Affected by Disabilities.

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Since 1995 Nebraska AgrAbility has helped individuals with disabilities overcome barriers to continue in their chosen agricultural profession. The program collaborates with community professionals to:

• Modify farm and ranch operations
• Adapt equipment
• Increase farmstead accessibility
• Provide financial counseling
• Identify funding sources
• Coordinate community services.

The National AgrAbility Project and its state programs are supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through a competitive grant process.

Sponsored by Nebraska AgrAbility, a partnership of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Easter Seals Nebraska, the workshop was designed to help health care professionals become more competent in the care they give to an agriculture population they see on a regular basis. Lead instructor for the seminar was Carla Wilhite, OTR/L, of the University of North Dakota, Caspar College. 

Wilhite was instrumental in developing the AOTA-approved curriculum used in the seminar. She added her own experiences and expertise to supplement topics such as the farm culture, farm tasks and their hazards, and treatment interventions. Wilhite also led the clinical exercises, using information from the day in a scenario to recommend treatment for an AgrAbility client.

Participants learned about the needs of disabled farmers and ranchers, and some of the technology that might be used to keep them in production agriculture. They also learned about the work of AgrAbility and resources available to them. In addition to classroom work, a visit to the Eric Beckman farm gave students actual experience in some of the assistive technology used by AgrAbility clients.

Other instructors for the workshop were:
Sharry Nielsen UNL Extension Educator - NE AgrAbility
Rodney Peterson and Del Ficke, Easter Seals Nebraska Rural Rehabilitation Specialists – NE AgrAbility
Kelly Kahman, ESN Work Incentive Specialist
Larry Neimeyer and Karen Zimmerman, Vocational Rehabilitation Services of NE. 

Workshop participants included: