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Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families

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Fall 2005, Vol. 6, No. 1

Table of Contents at bottom PDF Version

Case Study: Mary Reyna
Improving the Lives of Farmers and Families

Mary Reyna began working with CalAgrAbility two years ago when she became the AgrAbility project coordinator at Easter Seals Superior California. On a daily basis, Mary serves as the first point of contact for many CalAgrAbility consumers. In addition to conducting intake interviews, Mary performs home and farm site assessments.

As a bicultural/bilingual Latina, Mary grew up with parents that worked in agriculture harvesting olives and peaches. In various capacities throughout her career, Mary has worked with people with disabilities. Mary has found that her personal and professional experiences enable her to understand the needs of many of her AgrAbility consumers and their families.

While her primary duties are providing assessments, Mary has also found that a significant number of her consumers require assistance in making informed medical decisions and navigating the health care system. Mary utilizes numerous resources, many of which were established by Martha Stiles, CalAgrAbility’s principal investigator and extension partner. Martha has amassed well over fifteen years of experience in communicating health literacy to constituents.

Working with as many as ten consumers and their families per week, Mary serves as an information and communication liaison between her consumers and their medical professionals, insurance providers, and/or judicial system. “I assist consumers with their medical and legal appointments by being an advocate for services…and interpreting for them since I speak Spanish.” CalAgrAbility provides several materials and resources in Spanish, as nearly 75% of their consumers are native Spanish speakers. CalAgrAbility also exhibits at health fairs in an outreach effort to inform potential AgrAbility consumers who speak solely Spanish.

Mary’s assistance goes beyond just interpreting documents for consumers. “While language is a barrier for the consumers we serve, it is not the whole issue.” Mary recognizes that consumers have a difficult time navigating the health care system as they try to manage their disabilities. She makes phone calls for consumers to help them understand the information they are receiving from various sources in order to ensure they receive appropriate services. She helps consumers locate health care professionals, make and confirm appointments, and prepare for their appointments by bringing required documents and completing paperwork. At other times, she assists in writing letters to insurance providers and the judicial system to advocate for appropriate medical treatment.

A majority of CalAgrAbility consumers are farmworkers—hired labor. If they sustain a work-related disability, they are often faced with complicated legal issues that may affect approval for medical care. “The consumers feel like they are not being heard by attorneys, employers, and physicians… I follow up to help them put those pieces of information together.”

Working with multiple resources to get the appropriate medical care can be frustrating. “A lot of times, the consumers are frustrated with their disability and with the way the health care system works.”

“My goal is to teach consumers how to prepare for appointments, understand what is happening with their case, and have consumers learn what they need to do to be their own advocate and manage the health care system.”

Mary sees the impact of her work daily. “Once they understand where they are in the system and their role, consumers are able to move on and become independent. Lots of times, I am the one person who the consumer is able to talk to and show his/her real emotions. I love what I do and how I’m able to be that ‘hope’ for people.”

Focus – Health Literacy