AgrAbility
AgrAbility is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that is dedicated to improving the quality of life of agricultural workers with disabilities. This program addresses everything from catastrophic spinal cord injuries to behavioral problems by providing assistive technologies, informative packets, or caregivers to maintain the client’s livelihood and improve their quality of life. The Arkansas AgrAbility program introduced us to our client, for whom it was our responsibility to develop assistive technologies that could be utilized by our client, and the program for future clients.
Visit the national and state AgrAbility sites for more information.
Visit the national and state AgrAbility sites for more information.
Our Client
The design team met with an AgrAbility coordinator who introduced us to our client, a 63 year old male farmer that works 3000 acres of hay, cattle, soybeans, and corn located in the Arkansas River delta, east of Fort Smith, AR. He experienced an ATV accident seven years ago, resulting in a shattered vertebra that has since been fused. His back injury led to the implantation of a pain pump, as well as oral pain medication. Because of his injury, age, and medication he has issues with balance, fatigue, and strength. When asked to rate his pain on a scale of one to ten, he says his pain is at a four on a day to day basis, and as high as eight after a day of rigorous work.
While assessing the client’s farm, our team noticed that his farm is equipped with wire-gap gates that were tedious to open and close, and required a significant effort to operate. These wire-gap gates limited our client's ability to perform daily farming task due to the pain he experienced by 1) constantly getting in and out of his vehicle which requires a significant effort for him, 2) using additional strength and energy to operate the wire-gap gates. He also had difficulty getting in and out of the tractor. It was difficult to get in because the first step was high off the ground. Getting out was even more difficult because the lack of space at the top of the steps forces the client to face out while descending the ladder. The lack of a handrail and steepness of the steps coupled with his balance issues puts our client at risk of a fall every time he exits the vehicle. The fatigue he experiences after a day working in the tractor was attributed to the vibrations felt while operating the vehicle.
Many of the difficulties faced by our client are shared by the majority of the aging agricultural community. Currently, 40% of American farmers are at least 55 years old (Bureau of Labor and Statistics), and that number will continue to rise as the population of farmers declines. With this in mind, our team decided to develop design solutions that could be utilized by the broader farming community.
