Agricultural Worksite Assessment Tools and Assistive Technology For Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities

Stephen J. Swain, Paul Jones, William Field


Purdue University
Breaking New Ground Outreach Program and Resource Center
225 South University Street, ABE Building
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093

ABSTRACT

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by the National Safety Council, for agriculture, fishing, and forestry (not including logging), approximately 130,000 disabling work-related injuries occurred per year in 2000 and 2001 (NSC, 2001, 2002). In addition to injuries sustained while performing agriculture-related tasks, agricultural workers incur disabling injuries through many other means, such as falls and auto collisions. Diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer affect many additional agricultural workers. The average age of farm operators is increasing (Indiana Agricultural Statistics, 2005), indicating that age-related conditions such as arthritis and visual impairments may have an even greater impact than before.

A recent study by Breaking New Ground (BNG) indicates that the prevalence of disability in the agricultural population may be much higher than previously reported (Field, et. al., 2005). Whereas earlier reports from BNG and the National AgrAbility Project estimated the disability prevalence of persons involved in U.S. agricultural production to be 289,000–520,000, the new BNG study projects 0.67–1.21 million people with disabilities in the agricultural workforce and an additional 0.75–1.36 million household members in agricultural households with disabilities. This yields a total disability prevalence range of 1.42–2.57 million in the agricultural population.

BNG has targeted rehabilitation professionals to provide information and support when working with their clients.  To assist these professionals, The Breaking New Ground Resource Center has updated the Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments: A User’s Guide for Professionals Assisting Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities and The ToolBox CD, the 5th edition of “Agricultural Tools, Equipment, Machinery, and Buildings for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities.” These publications guide the professional through the process of assisting the client with modifications and assistive technology information for the client so they can return to the farm or ranch and are productive.

KEYWORDS

Farmers with disabilities, farm injuries, farm accessibility assessment, farm modifications,

ASSESSMENT TOOL ORIGIN/DEVELOPMENT

Agricultural worksites and the challenges of disabilities on these worksites are unique to each farmer and rancher, and thus the recommendations cannot be standardized among various farms and ranches.  The Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments: A User’s Guide for Professionals Assisting Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities (referred to as “The Assessment Tool) was published by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center to assist the rural rehabilitation professionals conduct thorough and systematic assessments of each unique farm and ranch worksite.  Through the assessment, the professional gathers and records information that helps identify the specific needs of the client. 

The original Assessment Tool was developed in 1988 and field tested with approximately 200 farmers in Indiana and Iowa.  It was designed to provide the professional, especially those somewhat unfamiliar with agriculture, with a guide to conduct an effective assessment, assistance in identifying potential workplace barriers, and a means for reviewing progress towards completing worksite accommodations.  The publication’s content was based upon earlier experiences and extensive field testing by the BNG Resource Center and Outreach Program and The Easter Seal Society of Iowa’s Farm Family Rehabilitation Management (FaRM) Program.  Each entity provided on-site services to farmers and ranchers with physical disabilities. 

An updated and revised edition was published in 1991 with financial support from the Department of Education/National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the Department of Education/Rehabilitation Services Administration. 

Development of the present edition began as a request by AgrAbility professionals attending the Springfield, IL National AgrAbility Workshop for an electronic version, which could be used on a laptop computer or a pda while conducting the assessment with clients at their homes, farms, or ranches.

ASSESSMENT TOOL FORMATS

Hard Copy Version

The second edition of The Assessment Tool was reviewed and edited by professionals in agricultural rehabilitation and includes examples within the text that were based on actual client cases.  These examples show some of the different enterprises that may be found on the farm or ranch and to illustrate the flexibility of The Assessment Tool.  The present edition contains examples of assessments made for clients with a spinal cord injury, a back impairment, a lower extremity amputation, and an upper extremity amputation.

CD-ROM Version

A CD-ROM version was created from the second edition and is presented in a Microsoft Access database format.  It can be used not only as an assessment tool, but also as a database.  Within that database, professionals can store data from multiple contacts with a client, query data from multiple clients, produce mailing labels and mail merge, and print reports.  The database is modifiable to fit the professional’s reporting requirements for his or her employer.

Handheld-Accessible Version

Many rehabilitation professionals are utilizing various handheld devices for business and appointment organization.  The CD-ROM version of the present Assessment Tool contains software that, when teamed with SmartLists to Go software, allows the professional to access the database through his/her handheld device while away from the office and with a client. 

The Assessment Tool Contents

The Assessment Tool consists of a preface, seven chapters and an appendix.  The Preface underscores the responsibility and liability issues that a professional rehabilitation service providers accept when serving their clients (e.g. not to cause them harm, not expose them to unnecessary risk).  It also speaks to the liability of clearly hazardous techniques and technologies used to accommodate a client’s individual needs or limitations, as well as, the liability for formal and informal recommendations that result in a loss or injury if such recommendations exceeded the scope of one’s professional expertise.

Chapter One addresses the value of worksite assessments, the purpose of an agricultural worksite assessment tool, and the intended users of such a tool.  Chapter Two discusses how to prepare for and conduct an effective on-site assessment.  Chapter Three introduces The Assessment Tool and how to use it.  Chapter Four explains each of the Tool’s information-gathering “questions,” providing examples of problems and potential solutions related to that particular question.  Chapter Five addresses the types and how-to’s of client record-keeping (with examples), underscoring their importance and appropriate use.  Chapter Six contains four examples of worksite assessments, including completed Assessment Tools, client records, forms, and other supporting documentation.  Chapter Seven lists selected resources related to agricultural worksite accessibility and farming/ranching with a disability.  The Appendix contains reproducible copies of The Assessment Tool and the supporting records and forms.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DATABASES

Background and Development

Several databases of assistive technology have been developed to assist the rehabilitation professional with modifications to the patient’s environment.  Among the databases commonly used are: ABLEDATA.COM, sponsored by NIDR, ASSISTIVETECH.NET, which is sponsored by Georgia Tech and NIDR, the National AgrAbility Project, Assistive Technology Products for Farmers and Ranchers, and The ToolBox, sponsored by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center.  Two of the databases are targeted specifically toward the farmer and rancher with disabilities: the National AgrAbility Project, Assistive Technology Products for Farmers and Ranchers and The ToolBox, sponsored by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center.

The ToolBox is the oldest of the databases designed specifically for famers and ranchers with disabilities.  The first edition was published in January 1986 by the Breaking New Ground Resource Center and the fifth and latest edition was published in 2006 with funding from the NEC Foundation.  The latest edition contains 750 different products and modifications, case studies of farmers and ranchers with disabilities, Plowshare technical articles, additional resources for support and related products, and previously described assessment tool.  

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Designed for use by rural rehabilitation professionals (both inexperienced and seasoned) The  Assessment Tool and The ToolBox combined provide a standardized format for making on-site assessments, assisting with the development of client information records, and provides options for products and modifications for farmers and ranchers with disabilities. 

The Assessment Tool can be used to identify potential barriers to the client that he/she has yet to identify.  It is common for a client to recognize one or two areas of need and not be aware of other potential needs.  The standard format helps the professional identify those areas where assistive technology could be beneficial.  The Assessment Tool can also be used when reporting to funding agencies, to project a more professional image, to document that all potential areas were examined, and to document the activities of the professional if liability issues should arise.

The ToolBox can be used by the professional with the patient to brainstorm ways of overcoming the barriers that are identified by The Assessment Tool. 

Together, The Assessment Tool and The ToolBox, provide the rural rehabilitation professional tools to assist the growing farm and ranch population and their families the tools they need to provide much needed services to their patients.

REFERENCES

  1. Breaking New Ground Resource Center (1988).  Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments. West Lafayette, Indiana.
  2. Breaking New Ground Resource Center (1991). Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments: A Guide for Those Providing Worksite Assessments for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities.  West Lafayette, Indiana.
  3. Breaking New Ground Resource Center (2005). Conducting Agricultural Worksite Assessments: A Guide for Those Providing Worksite Assessments for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities.  West Lafayette, Indiana.
  4. AgrAbility, Assistive Technology Products for Farmers/Ranchers  (Sponsored by the National AgrAbility Project
  5. ABLEDATA, Information on Assistive Technology  (Sponsored by the NIDRR, U.S. Department of Education)
  6. AssistiveTech.net, Assistive Technology Explorer  (Sponsored by Georgia Tech and NIDRR, U.S. Department of Education)
  7. Breaking New Ground Resource Center (1986). Agricultural Tools, Equipment, Machinery, and Buildings for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Handicaps.  West Lafayette, Indiana.
  8. Breaking New Ground Resource Center (2006). The ToolBox CD, Agricultural Tools, Equipment, Machinery, and Buildings for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical Disabilities, 5th Edition.  West Lafayette, Indiana.

Stephen J. Swain, ATP
Breaking New Ground Outreach Program
Purdue University
225 South University Street, ABE Building
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2093
(800) 825-4264 or (765) 494-5088
Fax: (765) 496-1356
www.breakingnewground.info
swainsj@ecn.purdue.edu