By Robert J. Fetsch, Director Colorado

AgrAbility Project

SAN LUIS VALLEY — The Colorado AgrAbility Project assists farmers and ranchers in overcoming injuries and health challenges. Colorado State University Extension and Easter Seals Colorado are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Colorado AgrAbility is part of a nationwide network of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs begun through the 1990 Farm Bill. The goal of the National AgrAbility Project is to inform, educate, and assist farmers, ranchers, and their families with disabilities who are affected by injury or health challenges.

Colorado AgrAbility is a partnership between Colorado State University Extension and Easter Seals Colorado. Their goal is to assist ranchers, farmers, and their families who are facing new obstacles due to injury or disability to remain self-sufficient and self-sustaining and doing what they love-farming or ranching-by providing information, education, and service.

All of Colorado AgrAbility information, education, and services are free to individuals. AgrAbility cannot provide goods or financial support. However, the staff will explore and assist with every possible option to help their clients reach their goals and continue to do the work they love. Colorado AgrAbility assists farmers, ranchers and their families to work smarter not harder.

A disability is any impairment that keeps you from doing as much work as you used to do or the necessary work on the ranch or farm. It also keeps you, your spouse, or your child from doing routine daily activities like walking, talking, and playing.

A disability can be a visual impairment or blindness, back pain and injury, knee problem, arthritis, stroke, hearing impairment, muscular dystrophy, respiratory problem, spinal cord injury, head injury, heart problem, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, paralysis, amputation, etc.

Assistive technologies are everyday adaptations made on farms and ranches to facilitate independent living and working. Assistive technology can be any of these essential adaptations, including platform or chair lifts to provide access to equipment, tools that can be used with one hand, hand controls or lever extensions for equipment, adapted ladders for access to irrigation ditches, and much more.

Each winter the Colorado AgrAbility Project provides free educational workshops throughout Colorado for farm and ranch families with disabilities and for professionals who work with them. An AgrAbility workshop will be conducted in Monte Vista at the Monte Vista Co-op Conference room (1901 E Hwy160) on January 26, 2010 from 9 a.m. to noon.

AgrAbility will provide free workshops in eleven communities throughout Colorado this winter. “Living with Visual Impairments and Other Physical Challenges on the Ranch/Farm” is this year’s workshop topic. Ten of the workshops will be from 9 a.m. to noon with a free lunch from 12-1 p.m. for those who pre-register at least one week prior to the workshop that they plan to attend. The workshops are for farm/ranch families with disabilities and other challenges and for professionals who work with them. To pre-register a week prior to the workshop either call Dr. Bob Fetsch (970-491-5648) or e-mail him (fetsch@cahs.colostate.edu).