AgrAbility Organization

Yes, thank you for considering making a contribution.

The host site for each state and regional AgrAbility project and their non-profit disability organization partners are able to accept contributions to enhance and expand the efforts of AgrAbility. These contributions can be designated for a wide variety of services such as peer support activities, establishing equipment loan programs, professional development, scholarships for clients to attend the National AgrAbility Training Workshop, and public awareness activities. Contributions are generally tax deductible and receipts will be provided. In some cases these contributions may provide tax savings. Check with your tax preparer for the most advantageous method of giving.

As part of the nationwide system of Cooperative Extension, AgrAbility projects work closely with local and state Extension staff to provide the best evidence-based resources for addressing the complex issues of farming with a disability. Both local and university-based Extension specialists are tapped for assistance when the problems exceed the expertise of AgrAbility staff. Each county Extension office in the U.S. has been provided with basic AgrAbility-related resources. Feel free to contact the Extension office for additional information. Extension staff is there to serve you.

State and Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAPs) operate within a geographic area defined on the basis of counties, states, or both. SRAPs may function independently of each other. States with insufficient potential clientele to merit individual AgrAbility projects may submit regional, multi-state proposals. At a minimum, the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) primary applicant must subcontract to one private, non-profit disability organization. Applicants proposing to serve remote or diverse potential customer populations may wish to form partnerships that include one or more land-grant institutions, non-land-grant institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, or additional, private, non-profit disability organizations effectively serve the entire qualifying population.

The NAP work plan is largely shaped by the directives contained in the USDA 2008 Request for Applications (RFA). The RFA calls for the NAP to contribute towards meeting the AgrAbility vision of enabling a lifestyle of high quality for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities, so that they, their families, and their communities will continue to succeed in rural America.
The RFA requires that the NAP address the following:

• Education for service providers and clients

• Networking among SRAPs and other stakeholders

• Provision of direct assistance to clients, especially those living in states not currently served by a SRAP

• National marketing to the client base and other rehabilitation providers

Purdue University and the Breaking New Ground Resource Center, located in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering are honored to provide the current home for the National AgrAbility Project. For nearly three decades Purdue has been providing services to farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their families impacted by disability. This has included direct services such as on-site assessments, toll-free helpline, research related to disability and agriculture, development of evidence-based resources for use by consumers and rehabilitation professionals, public awareness activities, professional development opportunities, and development and documentation of assistive technology appropriate for agricultural workplaces. Being a partner with the USDA AgrAbility Program to host the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) provides a wonderful opportunity to expand and enhance these activities through working directly with all of the state and regional AgrAbility projects. In addition, being a host for the National AgrAbility Project provides added opportunities to reach out to over half the states that currently do not have AgrAbility projects through NAP's partnerships with Goodwill International, The Arthritis Foundation and other organizations. Ultimately, the goal is to provide farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their family members with disabilities nationwide the opportunity, to achieve a lifestyle of high quality and satisfaction.