Inc. recently won a four-year grant to provide training, technical assistance and information support to the AgrAbility Program, the nation's largest program dedicated to helping people with disabilities to succeed in agricultural production. The two organizations competed for the award, which was made by U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
Agricultural production is one of the nation's most hazardous industries.
More than 200,000 people working in agriculture are injured annually, with thousands incurring permanent impairment. An estimated 500,000 farmers, ranchers, and farm workers have physical disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform their work. The AgrAbility Program was created in 1991 to help people with disabilities employed in agriculture. It links Cooperative Extension services with nonprofit disability service organizations to provide practical education and assistance. At least a half dozen other states have affiliated programs serving disabled agricultural producers using other funds.