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September 1999

Rural & Independent!
The Rural and Independent! photo exhibit is a joint effort between the Institute on Disabilities - Pennsylvania's University Affiliated Program at Temple University, Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT), National Easter Seals, and AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians.

The exhibit contains of 28 photographs, which highlight how some rural Pennsylvanians are successfully using assistive technology to live independently and to pursue their personal and professional goals.

The entire Rural & Independent! exhibit or a partial exhibit is available for showings. This is an excellent way to visually present the positive impact of assistive technology for individuals living in a rural area. For more information about reserving the exhibit and the shipping costs, please contact Linda Fetzer at (814) 238-4434 {Voice/TTY}.

Ag Progress Day Thank You!
AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians would like to thank all of the people that volunteered their time at our exhibit at the 1999 Ag Progress Days and to those farmers and farm families that we have worked with over the past four years that stopped by to visit.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities; Nittany Lion Inn - University Park, PA - September 13-14, 1999
• National AgrAbility Training Workshop: Best Western InnTowner - Madison Wisconsin - October 5-8, 1999
• Statewide Center for Independent Conference: Harrisburg Hilton - Harrisburg, PA - October 19 - 21, 1999

Assistive Technology Month -

• November 1999
  • 2000 Pennsylvania State Farm Show - State Farm Show Complex - January 8 - 13, 2000
  • 1999 National AgrAbility Training Workshop - Best Western InnTowner - Madison, Wisconsin
    
    
• October 5 - 8, 1999
  This workshop is an excellent opportunity to learn the latest in assistive technology for agricultural worksites and other information that will increase your effectiveness when working with rural families.
  Program Highlights:
  • Half-Day Information & Resource Session for Health, Disability & Farm Professionals
  • Play Performance "Farm Alarm: Coping with Stress"
  • Concurrent Technical Content Sessions
  • Utility Vehicles
  • Educating Farm Women on Health & Safety Issues
  • Coping with Farm Stress
  • Addressing the Needs of Farmers with CP
  • Farming with Arthritis

For more information about the AgrAbility Training Workshop, contact Linda Fetzer at (814) 238-4434.

FOCUS ON REGIONAL EASTER SEALS PARTNERSHIPS
Since 1995, Easter Seals has been committed to expanding our working partnership with the AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians project. Together, we strive to help individuals with disabilities and their families gain greater independence. For people living in rural or farm areas of Pennsylvania, AgrAbility is one project where all partners - Penn State Cooperative Extension, Easter Seals and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation - jointly focus our resources on supporting our farm families.

One of the goals of Easter Seals Central Pennsylvania is to increase involvement within the other regional Easter Seals affiliates. During the past two years, we have met with Easter Seals in South Central and Western PA to identify partnership opportunities. Some areas we will be focusing on include:

• Providing on-site training on the AgrAbility project's services and goals;
• Identifying new regional referral sources and agencies;
• Sharing and developing new resources;
• Identifying local therapists to assist with AgrAbility assessments; and
• Ensuring all Easter Seal affiliates work seamlessly to serve AgrAbility clients.

PROBLEM SOLVED
Problem: Spilling grain when filling a grinder/mixer.

Solution: Here is a low cost idea to give your grinder a larger hopper. A farmer, from Central Pennsylvania, reduced the amount of grain that is spilled when loading a grinder. He cut the bottom out of an old plastic auger hopper and set the grinder's hopper in it. This gives him a larger target area when filling the grinder with grain.

Assistive Technology Spotlight
A typical day for a farmer may include getting on and off of the tractor for several reasons including hitching equipment, checking equipment and opening gates. There are ways to modify a gate so that it can be opened and closed without dismounting the tractor.

One of those ways is an Ecklund Drive Thru Gate, which 'pops' open and away from your vehicle without touching the sides. The gate has a wide range of applications and can be electrified. The patented "Wild Gust Damper'" keeps the gate from swaying in strong winds.

Another gate opening system is the Mighty Mule E-Z Gate Opener, which is a remote controlled automatic gate opener. It is designed for single swing gates up to 16 ft. long, weighing up to 350 lb. The gate is operated by a 12 volt, 7.0 amp-hour battery and has a battery backup for a power outage.

For more information about gate opening systems or other types of assistive technology for agricultural worksite, please contact George Dills at (814) 863-7490.

From the Director's Desk ...Research Group to Tackle Safety in Agriculture
In my message included in the last issue of AgrAbility News for Pennsylvanians, I mentioned that I was part of an expanded regional research group studying agricultural safety. Obviously, the scope of this group goes far beyond agricultural safety and into engineering concepts and adaptations for farm workers and patrons.

Next month, this NCT 177 research group will meet for a second time to formalize a unique research agenda that will facilitate a safer agricultural work environment. This agenda will take us far into the next millennium and explore adapting space technology to agricultural engineering and safety. Although some of the best minds in the country are included in this elite group, we still need input from you. If you have concerns that you feel are important for agriculture safety, we would like to hear from you. Please send your safety concerns to me at 323 Ag Admin Building, Penn State University or to Dennis Murphy at 210 Ag Engineering Building, Penn State University.

By Connie D. Baggett
Project Director, AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians

 

AgrAbility staff is available for presentations throughout the state! If you would like an AgrAbility presentation at your county or state level event, please contact Linda Fetzer at (814) 238-4434. For more information about AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians or to share any ideas about articles for future editions, please contact either Linda or David.

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