Do you know where to go if you have questions about farming with a disability? What about farming with chronic aches and pains, or limitations that may not be bad enough to be called a disability, but still make your daily work difficult? Ohio AgrAbility Program (OAP) is one of the “Best Kept Secrets in Ohio agriculture”, and the OAP team would like to change that to “The Best-Known Resource for Farming with a Disability”. One of the missions of OAP is to offer resources and education to all farmers on how to reduce the risks of injury and introduce modifications and technology that help farmers stay safe, and work more efficiently.
OAP offers several workshops. Most workshops last about one hour, with time at the end for questions and answers.
Current Ohio AgrAbility workshops:
- Farming with a Disability – The Ohio AgrAbility Program works with farmers with disabilities to modify work tasks, utilize assistive technology & prevent secondary injury, so they can continue farming
- Collaborating with Ohio AgrAbility – Program information for disability services, education, rural health, Extension professionals, agricultural business and service organizations and community advocates; reviews ways professionals and advocates can work with Ohio AgrAbility to serve Ohio farmers with disabilities
- Arthritis in Ag – Discover how arthritis impacts our agricultural communities and effective ways to manage on the farm
- Gardening and Urban Ag – Learn creative solutions to continue working in your garden or small fam with a disability, chronic pain or other limitations
- Preventing Injuries on the Farm – Learn about hazards and how to prevent common ag injuries, and how to prevent secondary injuries
- Designing Accessible AgriTourism – Is your AgriTourism business welcoming to visitors of all abilities? Learn what areas of your business need to be accessible, and ways to utilize Universal Design principles to make your AgriTourism business accessible to people of all ages and abilities
The OAP team may be able to customize a workshop to meet you and your organizations specific needs. If you would like more information about workshops or would like to schedule a workshop please contact Laura Akgerman, Ohio AgrAbility and OSU Extension Disability Services Coordinator, at Akgerman.4@osu.edu, or 614-292-0622.