Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:One new target audience goal during this reporting year included reaching MDs, PTs, OTs, and other health professionals who provide services to and potential AgrAbility referrals of individuals with disabilities. We accomplished this with presentations and booths at 4 professional organizations' meetings and within the AK Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Additional target audiences included direct outreach to farmers, ranchers and others engaged in agriculture. This occurred at numerous events throughout the year including at the Alaska Farm Forum and Western SARE Conference, Southeast Master Gardener Conference, the Chilkat Valley Gardening Conference, the Interior Alaska Farm Forum (focused on support for new farmers), Delta Farm Forum, Fairbanks 50+ Health Conference, the Juneau Plant Sale, the Alaska Homestead Expo, the Alaska Food Festival and Conference. Numerous other smaller outreach and informational sessions were provided to community groups including workshops on adaptive modifications in produce storage facilities and greenhouses.These efforts have definitely raised awareness of AgrAbility Resources and some have taught adaptive farming techniques. Veterans remain a target audience for AgrAbility and we have done outreach at the Fairbanks Veteran's Stand Down and North Pole VFW Women Veterans Expo and provided information to the VA about our services. Finally, an important target group includes the current AgrAbility clients - we have continued to provide consultation and services to all of our clients often addressing new problems with assistive technology and new modifications. Changes/Problems:While the changes were slow, we have started to hit our stride with approximately 10 new clients this year. But, we need to keep the momentum going. We have increased Extension leadership staff time dedicated to the project in order to devote more time to planned activities. We believe that providing more on-going support after assessments and recommendations will provide more benefit to the clients. This will occur through increased staff time and case management and more one-on one with the clients. Our current activities, efforts and partnerships seem to be making a difference. In addition to continuing these, in the coming year, we hope to assess in more detail the injuries and other barriers experienced by Alaska's farmers and develop training to address these. While most of our efforts have been focused on adults, we will also increase our education and outreach to youth and organizations serving youth with disabilities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One training and professional development opportunity for project staff was supported by this project since last year. The annual National AgrAbility Training Workshop in Las Cruces was attended by two Extension project staff and one ATLA assistive technology technician. One Alaska Extension project staff member gave a presentation - "Virtual Reality as a Means to Inclusive Participation" (in agriculture and farming) developed for youth with disabilities. These annual conferences are extremely valuable for Alaska's AgrAbility program staff, introducing us to updates in adaptive technology, injury prevention strategies and other training that we can extend to our clients. We also assisted a veteran farmer to attend a beekeeping training conference in Las Vegas. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Extension's AKAgrAbility in the Last Frontier Extension reached at least 750 individuals with materials or training in the past year. Our Assistive Technology partner, ATLA, trained or provided on-site agricultural assessments for assistive technology and accommodations for more than 227 Alaskans, including for farmers and veterans with disabilities or professionals in vocational rehabilitation, physical or occupational therapy or community health providers who regularly come in contact with potential AgrAbility clients. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As our young program grows and evolves, we are gaining new partners and identifying ways to improve our approaches. In the coming year, we aim to develop more Alaska "marketing". While it is clear that we have gained not just name recognition but an appreciation of the value of our services, more needs to be done to enroll individuals with disabilities in agriculture in AKAgrability. Geography is a challenge in reaching our audiences so we will use more media. We currently have plans to remake our short T.V. release, create radio spots for broadcast and contribute to two podcasts with local individuals who support the farming and gardening communities. We have identified a database of businesses for a mass mailing (recommended by other states' AgrAbility programs). And we will also focus on participation with outreach booths and increase presentations and supportive skills-based workshops (such as farm stress management, ergonomics and injury prevention, etc) at agriculture specific events in as many areas of the state as possible. These types of training workshops may also be offered by Zoom for our rural and remote locations. We are increasing Extension staff hours and our subaward to ATLA so that they can travel and provide more client recruitments, assessments and recommendations and devote more time to follow-up. We have also added an administrative support position to help with project coordination, data management and case management. Continuing the AgrAbility grant is essential to ensure that farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers with disabilities have ongoing access to the support, resources, and adaptive technologies needed to maintain their independence and livelihoods. The type of support provided by AgrAbility will not come from any other organizations in Alaska. This program not only improves quality of life but also strengthens rural economies by keeping experienced producers active in agriculture.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Alaska is truly the last frontier of the nation with the Alaska AgrAbility project encompassing a vast, geographically remote and dispersed area. Support for farmers and veterans with disabilities employed in agricultural activities in the state has been limited and challenging to provide. The funded AgrAbility project has greatly enhanced the ability to provide outreach and essential services to these individuals. We are a relatively newly funded project and our efforts have been focused on outreach/building awareness, providing disability assessments and recommendations for assistive technology and building disabled farmer and veteran practical skills through participation in AgrAbility or other training opportunities. During this funding period and in partnership with our disability serving partner, Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA), we have addressed each of our goals by: recruiting, assessing and providing recommendations to new clients; developing Alaska specific outreach materials and messages; providing outreach at farmer and veteran serving community events; developing and presenting adaptive agricultural skills workshops in numerous venues; networking with the AK Farm Bureau and the AK Division of Agriculture, the Veterans Administration, the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Farmer Veteran Coalition, the Alaska Soil and Water Conservation District and many others; providing funds and coordination to send a veteran farmer with disabilities to a beekeeping conference; guiding clients to sources of funding to purchase assistive technology or other farm related equipment. During the past year we have presented, had an outreach booth or arranged for workshops in more than 12 communities - Anchorage, Delta Junction, Ester, Fairbanks, Haines, Healy, Juneau, Nenana, North Pole, Palmer, Sitka, Soldotna, Wasilla. Considerable effort has been dedicated to outreach with recent indications that we have been effective as we have had many more successful recruitments from outreach events this year and we have added 10 new AgrAbility clients - this is fewer than the original goal but twice as many as the prior year. AgrAbility name recognition by community members has increased. ATLA, our non-profit assistive technology provider, has reached partner organizations throughout the state serving individuals with disabilities and increased staff and client AgrAbility awareness and training in gardening and farming modifications. We have also participated in planning with the Alaska Soil and Water Conservation Districts who provided beginning farmer training (AFFECT) building skills in growing with hydroponic towers, traditional farming, business planning and farm resource awareness including AgrAbility-these classes filled to capacity with more than 15 people participating, exceeding the 10 targeted in our goals. Though not explicitly stated in the original cycle goals, our project plan for the current year included awareness building and outreach to medical professionals (MDs, PAs, NPs, OTs, PTs, etc.) who might be able to refer their patients to AgrAbility. This goal was achieved with a booth at the Alaska Public Health Association Meeting, The Alaska Physical Therapy Association Meeting, the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association Meeting, and ATLA's virtual presentation focused on adaptive agriculture/farming technology for World Assistive Technology Day. Another goal had been to develop new outreach banners, with a new message. Although development on new banners technically occurred in the prior funding year, we began using new small and large banners with, "Modify your practices, not your dreams", only in the current year. They were well received
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Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period several target audiences have been reached including Alaska Farm Bureau, Alaska Food Policy Council, Alaska Health Fairs, Alaska Division of Agriculture, Veterans Administration, Alaska DOH Senior and Disabilities Services, Fairbanks Master Gardener Association, Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, UAF Marine Advisory Program. By reaching these organizations we have been able to interact withindividuals in farming/agriculture/specialty products, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and fishing/aquaculture and with organizations providing services to these communities. Changes/Problems:The largest change in this project was the change of the Project Directorfrom Deshana York to Leslie Shallcross. This was not due to any "problems", rather it was due to organizational and position responsibility changes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the past 10 months,UAF Faculty/Extension Agents, and/or AgrAbility clients/OT or Assistive Technology professionals have attended the Western Region 2023 AgrAbilty conference in Hilo, 2023 WRASAP Mental Health First Aid training in Montana, the 2024 NationalAgrAbilty Training Workshop in Atlantaand the 2024 Assistive Technology Professional Training in Ann Arbor. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Shifts in project leadership, an expansion in target audiences (Fishability/Forest)and a recognition that referals to AgrAbility may come from medicalprofessionals, family members, Ag Agents, etc, has led to a small shift inoutreach plans. Presentations at professional meetings ofmedical providers, Occupational Therapistsor Physical Therapistsand VocationalRehabilitationCase managers are planned. Extension Agents will develop andprovidecommunity presentations on using assistive technology for gardening/farming/fishing, injury prevention, arthritis andstress management providing practical skills for individuals with disabilitiesand their family members.Media, potentially through mail, radio, websites, YouTube recordingor TV will also be used for education as well as awareness building.Alaska local Extension Agents will also provide programs that address concerns and skills for addressing common conditions such as arthritis, hearing loss, gardening modifications, physical activity, profession specific ergonomics, stress reduction or suicide prevention. These will serve not to not only build awareness but also to provide support for family members of individuals with disabilities. Data will be collected throughout the grant cycle, aggregated, and reported in appropriate annual and multi-year reports. The performance measurement and evaluation plan will be focused on: providing service to new AgrAbility clients and follow-up visits/assessment with past clients; presentations/displays at meetings of primary care providers (MDs, OTs, PTs, rehabilitation specialists, etc) development of programming for the public designed improve project awareness and provide support and practical skills to family members and caregivers, (i.e. safety and injury prevention; stress/mental health; adaptive gardening/farming methods and assistive technology) development of new outreach and informational materials establishing new relationships with Alaska aquaculture and forestry creating a website and links with a "library" of resources for clients training Extension /Marine Advisory program about AgrAbility and Assistive technology increasing collaboration and outreach with multiple Alaska state organizations
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Though themission remained the same and some of the goals were met, there was a transition in leadership and some changes in planned activities.The New Farmer Academy did not occur so this avenue for generating awareness and disseminating information about work safety and health was not accomplished. However, the transition led to bringing new Extension Agents/Faculty into the project in three regions of the state.These Agents/Faculty have started to support outreach and community education on adaptive technology for farming/gardening and the AgrAbility Program and they have begun to investigate ways to reach individuals in aquaculture and forestry industries.Other outreach occured at Veterans Affairs events, health fairs, and agriculture/food system events. Our assistivetechnology, non-profit partner ATLA sponsored outreach booths promoting AgrAbility services nearly monthly and discussed AgrAbility with Independent Living Centers and others serving the disability community.
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