Farm Again
Farming with a Disability
Rebecca Brightwell, Farm Again Co-Director
When a farmer acquires a disability or chronic health condition they are concerned if they will be able to continue working. With worksite modifications and planning, most farmers find they can successfully return to work.
Farmers are resourceful and have the attitude that they will prevail. In a research study comparing the rehabilitation outcomes following spinal cord injury of agricultural and non-agricultural workers, the researchers concluded that the farmers were very resourceful. Farmers typically had an invincible ‘can do’ attitude and ‘can fix’ anything. The study further speculated that these characteristics may be what enabled them to continue farming following a severe injury.
Assistive Technology (AT) often plays an important role in returning to work. AT is defined as products, devices or equipment that are used to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals . Items may be commercially made, modifiications of existing items, or be custom made.
If you live in Georgia, Farm Again is here to help identify what items are best for your situation and operation.. Simply contact us to get started. If you live in another state, we will be happy to give you some inital information and recommend resouces near you.
There are a wide range of AT devices that can aide for vision, hearing, cognitive, and other disabilities. We will help guide you on the best AT devices for your situation. Here are just a few examples of assistive technology items that have been used by our farmers:
Jeff Shows Devices He Uses on His Dairy Farm |
Dr. Rains, Farm Again, shows tractor adaptations
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Automatic Gates |
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Walk-Thru Gates |
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Calf Cart
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Reference: Young, A. E. and Murphy, G. C. (1998), SPINAL CORD INJURY REHABILITATION OUTCOMES: A COMPARISON OF AGRICULTURAL AND NON-AGRICULTURAL WORKERS. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 6: 175–180. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.1998.