Help available to farmers and ranchers with disabilities
CURTIS, Neb. – Farming is the most dangerous profession in Nebraska, said Becki Koehler, program manager for Nebraska AgrAbility and Easter Seals Nebraska.
When a farmer or rancher returns home after a hospital visit, he or she returns to an industrial worksite, Koehler said.
Agriculture is a key industry in Nebraska and we have a lot of people working with the limitations of a disability or a chronic illness, Koehler said. An appropriation in the 1990 farm bill started a rehabilitation program specifically for farmers and ranchers.
During 1994 in Nebraska, Easter Seals Nebraska partnered with University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension and wrote a competitive proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That proposal received funding to establish Nebraska AgrAbility, which has been serving farmers and ranchers with disabilities for 13 years.
Nebraska AgrAbility is a rehabilitation program that meets the needs of farmers and ranchers and their families who experience any disability, Koehler said.
“We work with the primary producer, but sometimes also their families, Koehler said. “We access resources for anyone in Nebraska who is involved in production agriculture.
Nebraska AgrAbility’s primary service to agricultural producers includes direct on-farm assessments of needs.
“We visit the farm or ranch, learn about the tasks that need to be performed and help the client find products and services, equipment, funding sources and other disability services that will help them do their work” Koehler explained.
Resources are limited, so Nebraska AgrAbility works closely with UNL Extension, Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation, the Social Security Administration, the Veteran’s Administration and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
To learn more about Nebraska AgrAbility or to get services, call the Easter Seals Nebraska office in Hastings, Nebraska, (800) 471-6425, Ext. 5.
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