Section 4: State Project Feature - AgrAbility of Utah

AgrAbility of Wisconsin – Collaboration Leads to Success

Strong Partnerships Provide Unmatched Service

]AgrAbility of Wisconsin (AAW), a partnership between University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension and the Easter Seals Wisconsin Farm Assessment and Rehabilitation Methods program (FARM), formerly known as the Resource Center for Farmers with Disabilities (RCFD), has learned the value partnerships and teamwork play in having a successful program.

Since 1991, the collaborative efforts of these two organizations have allowed AAW to provide services to over 1,000 Wisconsin farmers. Using the strengths of each organization, Easter Seals staff is responsible for direct client services while Extension is tapped for its ability to provide outreach and education. A strong line of communication ensures that clients are receiving unmatched service provision in an efficient manner. This model of teamwork and partnering doesn’t stop there. As opportunities to team up with other organizations or individuals arise, AAW staff makes every effort to follow through, resulting in a variety of positive outcomes.

Easter Seals Enters Agreement with DVR

This past fall, Easter Seals and FARM program staff entered into an agreement with the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to provide training to DVR staff, outreach to potential consumers, and services to DVR consumers. Under this agreement, FARM staff will provide up to 72 farm site assessments this year with the expectation that the program will expand even more in the years to come. Through a series of trainings for DVR counselors, FARM staff will also be providing information on issues farmers are facing and the cultural aspects of farm family life. Among other things, these trainings will identify some of the special challenges counselors may face when working with farmers. “The DVR staff has had great success with farmers,” says Paul Leverenz, FARM Director. “With this training we can add the benefit of AgrAbility’s experience of having worked with more than 1,000 farmers to help them continue to farm and achieve success in their farm operation.”

The change from RCFD to FARM, coupled with the DVR agreement, has allowed the program to triple in size. These changes benefit everyone involved, including AgrAbility consumers, because more clients can be served more quickly and with more resources. Three full-time positions have been added at Easter Seals Wisconsin, a technical assistant and two rural rehabilitation specialists. Future development of a computer database will also help match clients to community resources best able to help them, along with making more technical information available to clients and service providers.

The agreement also calls for outreach to the agricultural community to provide a better understanding of the services DVR offers. The FARM program is working in collaboration with the Wisconsin Farm Center, which performs farm financial feasibility studies for clients, along with some outreach. FARM extends its successful, long-time partnership with UW-Extension Cooperative Extension as they continue to provide consumer outreach and evaluation services for FARM.

Outreach Efforts Help Professionals Make Farming Connection

This winter 15 occupational therapy (OT) students left their university classroom behind to spend an afternoon out on the farm. With a majority of her OT students heading to rural areas for work, Prof. Deborah Dougherty saw the value in introducing her class to AAW and Rick Schmitz, a past program participant. Their visit to his Monroe County dairy farm provided students with information on assistive technology (AT) available for farmers, such as a hand truck, bedding chopper, feed cart, additional tractor steps, and personal utility vehicle. All of these items allow Schmitz to complete farm tasks with more ease. The “connections” didn’t stop with the AT. With only 3 of the 15 students ever having been to a farm before - one of whom had grown up on a farm - the introduction of basic farming practices and daily tasks was invaluable for these future rural professionals.

Along with this hands-on learning, AAW staff “brought the farm” to other professionals, including DVR counselors, OTs, and technical college human services students. Participation in nearly a dozen Assistive Technology Seminars across the state sponsored by DVR with coordination through independent living centers and the UW-Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute allowed staff to share more about AAW and its services through a presentation and exhibit space. These one-day seminars were intended to inform consumers about services and technology available to them and provided a number of networking opportunities for AAW staff.

Rural Volunteers Tell AgrAbility’s Story Best

Word of mouth can be a tool that is often overlooked; however, AAW continues to realize the impact that a farmer talking with another farmer or an equipment dealer talking with a farmer can play in getting the word out about the program. The level of trust and sense of assurance that develops during these informal communications can’t be matched. A Speakers’ Bureau and Farmer Network, as well as Neighbor-to-Neighbor gatherings, has provided a vehicle for such interactions. Teaming up with past clients and rural professionals can make the difference between a farmer simply hearing about the program and a farmer actually making that first call for help.

Websites of Interest

AgrAbility of Wisconsin
Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program
UW-Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute
Wisconsin Farm Center

AgrAbility of Wisconsin Project Staff

Tricia Behn joined AAW as a Rural Rehabilitation Specialist at the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program in November 2002. She has a B.S. degree in occupational therapy, and is currently enrolled in a master’s program in health care administration. Behn worked for 11 years as unit supervisor in a county health care center; before that she worked for 13 years as an occupational therapist. She grew up on her family’s 365-acre dairy and livestock farm.
T Ellenbecker works part-time with the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program as a Rural Rehabilitation Case Manager. With a B.A. degree in progress, she comes to the program with 11 years experience as a vocational rehabilitation case manager for the Wisconsin DVR and nine years experience in human resources. Ellenbecker has been with AAW since May 2001.
Christine Fessler, MSW, is President/CEO of Easter Seals Wisconsin and has served as the administrator of Easter Seals Wisconsin’s FARM program for nine years. Fessler has a M.S. degree in social work with a specialization in developmental disabilities and has 30 years of experience in public and non-profit administration for organizations serving people with disabilities.
Judith Guttman has worked as a Technical Assistant for the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program and AAW since 1996. Guttman has M.A. degrees in education technology and English literature.
Sheri Hicken has worked for Cooperative Extension as Outreach Specialist for AAW at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since September 2000. Hicken has a B.S. degree in agricultural education and returns to the program following a one-year leave to serve as Wisconsin’s Agricultural Ambassador through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture.
Paul Leverenz serves as the director of the Easter Seals Wisconsin’s FARM Program. He has a M.S. degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling and is a Certified Professional Counselor with a background in dairy and swine production. Leverenz has been with AAW since 1992.
Ronald T. Schuler, Ph.D., P.E., is an Extension agricultural engineer with a farm machinery specialization, and a professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Schuler has directed AAW since its origin in 1991 and has 31 years of teaching, research, and extension experience at four universities.
Brooke Welch joined the AAW program as a Technical Assistant for the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program in November 2002. Growing up on her family’s dairy farm, she shouldered many farm responsibilities. Following high school, her off-farm employment taught her various computer skills. Excited to share those skills and many other talents, Welch proudly says, “I am part of a team that isn’t just helping people keep their current jobs, we are helping preserve a way of life.”
Bruce Whitmore joined the AAW program as a Rural Rehabilitation Specialist at the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program in November 2002. He has a B.S. degree in technical agriculture and a M.A. degree in education with a vocational emphasis. He has been an owner and operator of a family dairy, crop, and beef farm; taught vocational agriculture; and served as the farm and grounds manager at St. Coletta of Wisconsin, a nationally recognized provider of services to adults with developmental disabilities.

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In This Issue
Section 1: Back Injury Motivates Wisconsin Man’s Move to Farming Section 2: Facts about Back Injuries Section 3: Back Saving Assistive Technology Solutions	Section 4: AgrAbility of Wisconsin – Collaboration Leads to Success Section 5: Resources Section 6: Contacts