NATIONAL AGRABILITY PROJECT

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NATIONAL AGRABILITY PROJECT

• NATIONAL AGRABILITY PROJECT (NAP)
• CSREES, AgrAbility History, NAP, Project
  Objectives
• NAP Team Members, Partnerships
• Ronald T. Schuler
• New Staff Orientation
• National AgrAbility Workshop
• November 16, 2004

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Outline

• CSREES what is CSREES and why it important
  (Ivan Graf)
• AgrAbility History when and how did AgrAbility
  start
• Project Objectives -what are they and why are
  they important
• Staff Members and Their Responsibilities- who do
  you call or e-mail when you have questions
• Partnerships - principles to insure a successful
  state team

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A Brief History of AgrAbility

• Arose from a grass roots effort championed by
  Easter Seals
• Easter Seals shopped the concept to several
  federal departments before selecting USDA
• Modeled after pioneering efforts in Iowa (Easter
  Seals) and Vermont (University)
• Grown from 8 awards in 1991 to 24 awards totaling
  about 4.0 M in 2004

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What Does CSREES Do?

• Program leadership to identify, develop, and
  manage programs to support university-based and
  other institutional research, education, and
  extension.
• Connect projects and government
• Collect data to justify creating programs
• Fair, effective, and efficient administration of
  Federal assistance implementing research,
  education, and extension awards and agreements.
• Aim to satisfy both Legislative and Executive
  Branches
• Collect data to justify continuing programs

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More About CSREES . . .

• Staff of about 360 USDA employees and about 30
  contractors
• Managed 1.13 B in appropriations in FY 2004
• Extension appropriations totaled approximately
  454 M in FY 2004
• Includes formula, special grants, and competitive
  grant programs

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What is the Cooperative Extension System (CES)?

• Partnership of
• 3,000 counties with over 9,000 local educators
• Land-Grant Institutions
• Fifty-six 1862 Institutions
• Eighteen historically black 1890 Institutions
• Thirty-one Native American 1994 Institutions
• USDA- Cooperative State Research, Education, and
  Extension Service (CSREES)

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CES MISSION

• The Cooperative Extension System
• helps people improve their lives and communities
  through an educational process that uses
  scientific knowledge focused on issues critical
  to the economic, agricultural, societal,
  health/safety, and environmental progress of all
  Americans.

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How does AgrAbility Relate to Coop. Extensions
Mission?
???

• Helps people improve their lives. . .
• Focuses on needs of persons with disabilities
  employed in agriculture
• Through an educational process. . .
• Assist persons with disabilities become more
  active in their farming lifestyle
• Teach service providers who routinely interact
  with persons with disabilities
• . . . That uses scientific knowledge . . .
• Ergonomics, electronics, mechanics, etc.

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What Does CSREES Do for AgrAbility Projects?
Promotes, assists and helps

• Promotes your accomplishments across the USDA and
  the university system
• Assists during project transitions
• Helps projects make choices based on the agencys
  administrative requirements and Congress mandate
  to the program

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What is the Farm Bill and Why is It Important to
AgrAbility?

• Farm Bills have
• Authorized partnership between land-grants and
  non-profit disability organizations
• Established funding recommendations
• Provided guidance on eligible programs
• Farm Bills include
• FACT (1990) FAIR (1996)
• AREERA (1998) FSRIA (2002)
• Appropriations provide for AgrAbility under
  Smith-Lever 3(d), Farm Safety Funds

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FACT 1990 Program Objectives

• Provide education and assistance to accommodate
  disability in farming
• Educate service providers who support AgrAbility
  clients
• Provide on-farm technical advice
• Involve others in early identification
• Mobilize volunteer resources

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Farm Bill Provisions - Continued

• FACT (1990)
• Maximum Award Amount 150,000
• National Project to provide technical assistance,
  training, and information dissemination to
  support local projects
• Program authorized for 1991-1996
• FAIR (1996) Extends program to 1997
• AREERA (1998)
• Extends program to 2002
• Limits National Project grant to 15 of program
  appropriation
• FSRIA (2002)
• Extends program to 2007
• Requests that new applicants receive full
  consideration

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AgrAbility Funds Do Support(Objectives for new
four year plans for projects starting in 2005)

• Education - AgrAbilitys long-term investment
  strategy
• Focuses on accommodating disabilities and
  avoiding secondary injuries
• Directed to health, farm, and government service
  providers
• Networking - Depends on education and will
  eventually make AgrAbility sustainable
• Encourages the sharing of information among, and
  the provision of services, value, and/or funds
  from individuals or organizations not employed by
  AgrAbility
• Includes customers, peer supporters, volunteer
  groups, university student groups, stakeholders
  and public and private funding organizations

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AgrAbility Funds Do Support

• Assistance - Satisfies customers immediate needs
  inadequately addressed by health, farm, and
  government service providers.
• Focuses on individualized consultative services
  that increase the likelihood that AgrAbility
  Project customers and their farm operations
  experience success
• Involves AgrAbility customers and others working
  at the same farms
• Marketing - Makes key audiences aware of
  AgrAbility and its initiatives.
• Concentrates on awareness to the exclusion of
  information required to provide education,
  assistance, or facilitate networking
• Includes everyone

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AgrAbility Funds May Not

• Pay for assistive technology or farm site
  modifications
• Use federal funds to solicit other federal funds
• Pay tuition or student fees
• Pay overhead or indirect costs
• Conduct research (work must remain within
  accepted bounds of Extension)

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New Staff Points to Remember

• CSREES General Terms and Conditions found in
  FY2005 Request for Applications
• http//www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/05_agrabil
  ity.html
• Projects must re-apply every year
• Letter to PIs from Brad Rein dated October 6,
  2004
• Use the National AgrAbility Project for
• Expertise
• Training
• Data collection and analysis
• Information dissemination

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New Staff Points to Remember

• Keep your directors, colleagues, and CSREES
  informed of any significant recognition your
  project receives
• Inform me if you have a change in or
  reorganization of project staff
• Partner even on report writing and submit them on
  time

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CSREES Key Staff

• Vacant - Program Specialist
• Brad Rein National Program Supervisor
• 202-401-0151
• brein_at_csrees.usda.gov

• Kim Knoblock Admin. Support
• 202-401-4587
• kknoblock_at_csrees.usda.gov

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National AgrAbility Project A Partnership Between
Easter Seals and University of Wisconsin-Extension
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
CSREES-Cooperative States Research, Education
and Extension Service
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
USDA-CSREES Responsibilities Administer
the Program Specific responsibilities
Direct the request for proposals
Oversee review process Insure funded
projects follow rules
CSREES-Cooperative States Research, Education
and Extension Service
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Project Leader Responsibilities Provides
Overall management and reporting
activities of the project
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Project Manager Responsibilities
Coordinates National Training Workshop,
area training and new staff orientation
Supervises technical assistance and
information dissemination Directs the
preparation of the annual and final
reports
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Assistive Tech. Specialist Responsibilities
Provide technical support on assistive
technology with a special focus on
secondary injuries
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
ES Project Director Responsibilities
Provide leadership for ES partner Coordinate
education for frontline
rehabilitation and healthcare
professionals and networking for
volunteer program
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Agr. Technologist Responsibilities
Provide training and technical
assistance on agricultural
machinery, quipment, and buildings
with assistive technology Manage
web site
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Rehabilitation Spec. Responsibilities
Provides training and technical assistance
with respect to assistive technology governm
ent programs other rehabilitation
issues cultural diversity
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Evaluation Specialist Responsibility
Directs the evaluation activities of the
program
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Program Assistant Responsibilities Provide
clerical support and word proc. Answer toll
free phone-serve as receptionist Complete
data entry and desktop publishing Manage
mailings Maintain Cooperative Extension files
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National AgrAbility Organizational Chart
Marketing and Communication Specialist
Responsibilities Responds to information
requests Disseminates project-related info.
to staff Coordinates the marketing plan
Produce Monthly Newsletter and Quarterly
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Principles of Partnership

• Help state project staff excel
• Provide high quality, outcome oriented training,
  tech. assist. and information dissemination
• Leverage opportunities and promote innovation
• Lead and promote AgrAbility goals
• Provide full access to all information and
  resources
• Build capacity of state project staff

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Final Point-Partner

• Treat your partner the way you would like them to
  treat you

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Concluding remarks

• CSREES
• National Project Objectives
• Staff Member and Their Responsibilities
• Principles of Partnership

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• THE END