West Virginia AgrAbility - Eligibility

Who Is Eligible?

The West Virginia AgrAbility Project is designed to help those who experience:

AgrAbility promotes agriculture success for people with disabilities

Farming is one of the nation's most dangerous professions because it involves difficult working conditions, hazardous equipment, and animals that can become out of control. These conditions are compounded in West Virginia where many part-time farmers also work in mining and logging, two other hazardous occupations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates that more than 200,000 farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers experience occupational illnesses and injuries every year. Approximately 5 percent of those workers have serious or permanent results.

The Breaking New Ground Resource Center estimates that more than 500,000 people employed in agriculture have physical disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform essential tasks on the farm. In addition, thousands of children born into agricultural families have disabilities that prevent them from fully participating in farm or ranch activities enjoyed by other youth.

The AgrAbility Project is a USDA funded program that assists farmers and farm families who, because of occupational and personal accidents or illnesses, need to find ways to accommodate their disabilities in order to remain active in agriculture. West Virginia joined the nationwide AgrAbility Project in April 2001. The WVU Safety and Health Extension, the Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living, and the West Virginia Assistive Technology System of the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities with the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center formed a coalition to apply for funding. In the first year of the four-year project, staff members have talked with more than 50 West Virginia farm families and are currently providing services to many of these families.

The AgrAbility Project staff helps farmers and their families by recommending safe, affordable modifications to their homes, land, vehicles, and farming equipment. The program also helps farm families locate peer support and funding sources and provides education on farm safety and injury prevention. Project staff can inform farmers about available resources and, in some cases, help them design and build assistive devices.

The program works with people having such disabilities as amputated limbs, arthritis, back pain, developmental disabilities, hearing problems, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, vision problems, respiratory problems, stroke, spinal cord injury, post-polio syndrome, and chronic pain. The staff can serve agricultural families regardless of farm type and make on-farm visits to develop solutions to meet specific needs. To quality for West Virginia AgrAbility Project assistance, a farm family needs to have made at least $1,000 from their farm product.

Inetta Arbogast, West Virginia AgrAbility field operations manager, coordinates resources and services for farm families. If you know a farmer who has an injury or chronic health condition or has a family member with a disability, or if you would just like more information about West Virginia AgrAbility, call the program at 1-800-841-8436.

The above article appeared in the August 2002 edition of WVU Update, an educational insert to the Farm Bureau NEWS. WVU Update is provided by the WVU Extension Service and the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer Sciences. The article was written by Marie Leichliter, Information Specialist, WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center.

[top]