Agr Ability New Staff Training Agr Ability NTW
Agr. Ability New Staff Training Agr. Ability NTW – April 8, 2013 Minneapolis, Minnesota National Agr. Ability Project 1
Session Overview of National Agr. Ability Project (NAP) u Goals u History u Services u Structure u Resources u Personnel 2
n n n Agr. Ability began in 1991 as part of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (“The Extension Service”) Breaking New Ground started in 1979 and was a model for Agr. Ability In 1991, there were 8 Agr. Ability projects; as of 2013, there are 23 projects covering 25 states plus several affiliate projects 3
The NAP Structure n All Agr. Ability projects – state projects and the national project – are partnerships between the state’s land grant university and at least one rehabilitation-related program. 4
Current NAP Partners Breaking New Ground Resource Center, Purdue University (lead organization) n Goodwill of the Finger Lakes (NY) n Arthritis Foundation, Heartland Region n University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign & Colorado State University (evaluation specialists) n 5
Unfunded Affiliate Programs n n n n Farmer Veteran Coalition Northwestern University Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center APRIL (Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living) RESNA (Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Society of North America) RTC Rural at the University of Montana National FFA Organization NAP Structure Chart 4 -H 6
Previous NAP Partners n 1991 – 2000 u n Breaking New Ground Resource Center and Easter Seals 2000 – 2008 u University of Wisconsin Extension and Easter Seals 7
The Priority Areas for all Agr. Ability Projects n Education u n Networking u n Partnering with other organizations to fulfill our mission Assistance u n Workshops, conferences, publications Providing direct services to customers Marketing u Spreading the word about Agr. Ability 8
Special Responsibilities of the NAP n Provide support to the state and regional Agr. Ability Projects Training u Resources u Consultations with NAP specialists u n Provide direct services to customers in states without Agr. Ability Projects 9
What Does Agr. Ability Not Provide? Funding n Equipment (though some Tech Act partners provide certain AT) n Most funding for assistive technology comes through state vocational rehabilitation systems u Other sources of grants and loans are available u 10
NAP Key Personnel n Bill Field, Project Director Founder of Breaking New Ground u Overall project oversight u Liaison with USDA u 11
NAP Key Personnel n Paul Jones, Project Manager Management of daily activities u Resource development u 12
NAP Key Personnel n Kylie Hendress, Engagement Coordinator Public awareness/marketing u Event planning u 13
NAP Key Personnel n Steve Swain, Assistive Technology Specialist Toolbox process u Liaison with RESNA u 14
NAP Key Personnel n Cliff Racz, Information Technology Specialist u Development of NAP web site and assistive technology database 15
NAP Key Personnel n Rob Stuthridge, Ergonomics Consultant Assistance with technical articles u Consultation on human factors and technology u 16
NAP Key Personnel n Kate Hamm, Information Training Coordinator Assistance with technical articles and web-related resources u Social media - Twitter u 17
NAP Key Personnel n Goodwill of the Finger Lakes Promotion of the Goodwill/Agr. Ability partnership u Regional workshops u 24 -hour call center u 18
NAP Key Personnel n Amber Wolfe, Arthritis Foundation Agr. Ability Coordinator of Agr. Ability’s arthritisrelated activities u Workshop in SRAP & non-SRAP states u 19
NAP Key Personnel n Evaluation Team u Objective analysis of NAP activities t Annual staff needs assessment t Demographic data t Quality of life evaluation 20
Your Questions 21
Your Questions n How do Vocational Rehab and Assistive Technology differ in rural areas among those engaged in agriculture and related activities? 22
Your Questions n What are the typical time frames states expect or experience in meeting, reporting, assisting clients? 23
Your Questions n Pitfalls with state programs, as well as successes? 24
Your Questions n What are the experiences of clients experiencing TBI, learning disabilities, and other cognitive issues in rural areas and agriculture? 25
Your Questions n How does Agr. Ability serve ethnic and linguistic minorities? 26
NAP Resources n Related web sites www. agrability. org (current NAP) t Extranet available for staff u www. agrabilityproject. org (former NAP) u www. ruralcare. info (rural caregivers) u 27
The Toolbox n Print, CD, and web versions www. agrability. org/Toolbox n Approximately 1000 products to help farmers and ranchers with disabilities 28
Arthritis Resources n n n www. arthritis-ag. org Arthritis and Agriculture Plain Facts about Agriculture ¿Podrá ser la Artritis lo que me causa Dolor? (Could Arthritis be the cause of my Pain? ) Gaining Ground on Arthritis 29
Plowshares 30 technical reports on specific topics, such as farming with a spinal cord injury n Currently being updated n 30
Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments Step-by-step guide for evaluating farms and ranches n Reproducible assessment form n Electronic database for recording data and printing reports n 31
AT Secondary Injury Evaluation Step-by-step guide for evaluating AT for secondary injury hazards n Reproducible assessment forms n 32
To Everything There is a Season: Rural Caregiver Support Written resource n Video/DVD n www. ruralcare. info n Includes video clips u Downloadable resources u Links to many organizations u 33
Newsletters n Agr. Ability Harvest u n Semiannual to national audience Agr. Ability e-Note u Monthly to Agr. Ability staff members 34
Communities of Interest and Standing Committees n Standing Committees u u Evaluation Marketing National Training Workshop Networking n Communities of Interest u u Arthritis and Agriculture Assistive Technology 35
NAP Work Plan Highlights: Education n Core competency initiative u n Identification and training Web-based resources www. agrability. org u Webinars (at least 6 per year) u n Publications u Resource on back impairment in agriculture 36
NAP Work Plan Highlights: Networking n New networking opportunities through NAP partners Goodwill: network of 161 Goodwill affiliates u Arthritis Foundation: national network of chapters u n Collaboration with unfunded affiliates FFA u APRIL u RESNA u RTC: Rural u NURERC u 4 -H u 37
NAP Work Plan Highlights: Assistance Empowering Goodwill affiliates in states that have no Agr. Ability Projects n Arthritis workshops and outreach in various states n Toll-free helpline: 800 -825 -4264 n Online assistive technology database n 38
NAP Work Plan Highlights: Marketing Exploring ways to promote Agr. Ability through the vast network of Goodwill outlet stores n New video and brochure n Public service announcements on arthritis and farming n 39
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