RAISE The Standard, July 2024, v.10 n.7 | | |
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Growing New Opportunities:
Jobs in Agriculture
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From urban gardens, to caring for livestock, there are many types of farming and many tasks to be done. With some planning - and perhaps some modifications and supports - people with disabilities can find fulfilling work in agriculture. Some jobs require a high school diploma while others need only short-term on-the-job training.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in agriculture, food, and natural resources focus on working with plants, animals, and the environment. They include occupations in farming, animal care, forestry, conservation work, and recyclable material collection.
In this issue of RAISE The Standard, we will explore how students with disabilities can grow through work and careers in agriculture.
Not sure how this can work? Click here to read about one innovative model in Jackson, Wyoming.
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"…this body is happiest when in that garden, a plot of ground that connects nature to me, and through me, to my friends and community."
- Brandy Schillace
Dr. Brandy Schillace finds joy in gardening. She is an autistic writer with a connective tissue disorder. As a child, she grew food with her family, and now gardens as a hobby.
Schillace believes that a garden of any size promotes physical, spiritual, and mental health.
Click here to read the article or listen to the MP3.
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AgrAbility
Since its establishment in 1990, the AgrAbility Program has provided services to agricultural workers with disabilities. AgrAbility works to improve the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities, so that they, their families, and their communities can succeed.
Their services can help people with a range of disabilities gain employment in agriculture or a related occupation; get access to assistive technology needed for work and daily living activities; and offer targeted support for family caregivers.
The website includes a toolbox of assistive technology ideas for everything from growing flowers, lawn care and gardening, to tractors and combines.
Click here to learn more about AgrAbility.
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Cooperative Extensions Course
A series of courses called Skillfully Working with People with Developmental Disabilities is available online through a partnership between Rutgers Cooperative Extension/New Jersey and Colorado State University. This series provides foundational knowledge for working with people with disabilities in a farming context.
They cover common developmental disabilities, confidentiality, learning styles, behavior management and communication, visual supports for people with disabilities, and disability law.
The site also provides brief, helpful fact pages for each course’s content, beneath the course offerings. These might be helpful as a quick reader for people involved in a program or working to create one.
For course information and fact pages for each topic, see their website.
4-H: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health
4-H is America’s largest youth organization serving nearly six million young people. For over 100 years it has been offering youth with disabilities a fully inclusive opportunity to learn about and experience farming. They even have print and digital curriculums.
4 H is delivered by the Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation. Through hands-on learning, youth ages 5-18 build confidence, creativity, and curiosity, as well as leadership and resiliency. Participation in 4-H can be a great way for youth with disabilities to learn about and explore careers in farming and agriculture.
Click here to learn more about your local 4-H.
Click here to access the curriculum and educational materials.
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Approaching Your Local Cooperative Extension
While there are many good generic resources for youth to learn more about careers in agriculture and the environment, the degree to which they are able to support youth with disabilities may vary.
Some Cooperative Extensions have programs and staff specifically to support people with disabilities, while others do not. One such program is the Farm to School Work Hub also known as the Growing Educational Training Campus – where students with disabilities learn life skills and receive job training while helping get fresh, local food into school lunches.
Click here to learn more.
But what if your community does not have a program or lacks information needed to make the program more accessible? In approaching your local extension, it might be helpful to begin with some basic information.
Click here to access guidance.
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In this issue of RAISE The Standard, we focus on the Multi-Cultural Transition Technical Assistance Project (Region D1), provided by Open Doors for Multicultural Families.
Open Doors for Multicultural Families works with seven Parent Training and Information Centers (Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington) to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate information about transition to adult services, post-secondary resources, and services for culturally & linguistically diverse (CLD) youth with developmental & intellectual disabilities (DD/ID) and their families in states in the northwestern region of the US. The RSA Multicultural Technical Assistance Project provides technical assistance for their Multicultural Parent Training and Information Center.
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10th ANNUAL RAISE SUMMIT
Thursday, July 25th, 2024
9 am Central Time (10 am Eastern Time)
St. Louis, Missouri
This year’s RAISE summit, hosted by the National RAISE Center, will focus on improving transition outcomes, with an emphasis on key partners in transition planning and young adult involvement. It includes a virtual option for those who are not attending in person. Click here to learn more and to register.
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Collaboration • Empowerment • Capacity-building | |
RAISE The Standard enewsletter identifies and shares resources that the Rehabilitation Services Administration Parent Training and Information Centers (RSA-PTI) can use and share with families. | |
The RAISE Technical Assistance Center is working to advance the accessibility of its digital resources, including its websites, enewsletters and various digital documents. | |
RAISE, the National Resources for Access, Independence, Self-Advocacy and Employment is a user-centered technical assistance center that understands the needs and assets of the RSA-PTIs, coordinates efforts with the Technical Assistance provided by PTI centers and involves RSA-PTIs as key advisors and partners in all product and service development and delivery. | |  |
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The RAISE Center is a project of the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network and is funded by the US Department of Education's Rehabilitation Service Administration. The contents of this resource were developed under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education (H235G200007)). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
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