Occupational and physical therapists from central Nebraska recently took part in a day-long seminar, Rehabilitating Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers Disabilities.

The workshop was held at the College Park in Grand Island, NE. Sponsored by Nebraska AgrAbility, a partnership of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Easter Seals Nebraska, the workshop was designed to help health care professionals become more competent in the care they give to an agriculture population they see on a regular basis.

Lead instructor for the seminar was Dr. Carla Wilhite, OTR/L, of the University of North Dakota, Casper College. Wilhite was instrumental in developing the AOTA-approved curriculum used in the seminar. She added her own experiences and expertise to supplement topics such as the farm culture, farm tasks and their hazards, and treatment interventions.

Other instructors for the workshop were: Sharry Nielsen UNL Extension Educator - NE AgrAbility; Rodney Peterson and Del Ficke, Easter Seals Nebraska Rural Rehabilitation Specialists – NE AgrAbility; Kelly Gewecke, ESN Work Incentive Specialist; and J.D. Simmons, Vocational Rehabilitation Services of NE. Participants learned about the needs of farmers and ranchers with disabilities and some of the assistive technology that might be used to keep them in production agriculture.

They also learned about the work of AgrAbility and resources available to them. In addition to classroom work, on-site visits to two AgrAbility client farm operations gave participants insights into how the assistive technology could be used by ag producers with disabilities.

Area participants included: Catherine Meyer, Tobias; Heather Probasco, Fairmont.