Training
Assistive Technology Consultant
ICanWork offers a variety of continuing education and training opportunities for farmers and rehabilitation professionals to learn how to effectively serve hands-on workers with disabilities to improve their employment outcomes. These events range from webinars to conference speaking engagements or multi-day trainings in your state and personal on-the-job training with Ned in Michigan. Although Ned has decades of experience bridging the divide between farmers and rehabilitation professionals, there are far more people to reach than he can serve. There is a shortage of people like Ned who are able to assess the needs of rural workers with disabilities and help them access assistive technology. This is why training and education is needed for more people to be qualified to provide rural assistive technology services.
ICanWork trains rehabilitation professionals to understand the cultural nuances of agriculture and who can help them apply their skills effectively in that environment. To provide an effective assistive technology assessment, the professionals need to understand how to prioritize the workers tasks and how to discuss them with the worker’s social network. We also train peer support volunteers from the agricultural and tradesmen communities on the basics of disability etiquette, common disabling medical conditions, and where to learn about safe assistive technology solutions. Farmers and workers in the trades are naturally problem solvers and are well equipped to understand the culture and tasks if they have a basic understanding of serving people with disabilities. Learning from ICanWork increases the number of skilled service providers for farmers and tradesmen with disabilities around the world and results in improved employment outcomes and quality of life.
$500 Virtual Speaking / Webinar
Ned has experience in agriculture, construction, fabricating and welding. Assistive technology for the skilled trades and agricultural careers are his specialty. Whether you want to learn about adaptive hand tools for carpal tunnel in the orchards, or back supports for a plumber working under the sink, or shoulder supports for a mechanic reaching overhead to repair a vehicle on the hoist, choose your topic for Ned to teach! Even the nuances of agriCulture where families wrestle with the question of when to take away the tractor keys from Grandpa, the humbling idea of accepting vocational rehabilitation services to keep working, or the added stress on a caregiver in rural areas. Let’s talk about what sessions would be best for your audience to learn!
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$1500 Capstone Design Project Industry Partner
Senior engineers at most universities are required to complete a capstone design project in their last semester of school. With a large variety of assistive technology needs for skilled trades and agricultural workers, Ned is well suited to guide a capstone class as the industry partner. The students will have excellent learning opportunity by both practicing the engineering design process, but also fabricating a prototype which will be useful for a worker with a disability. Ned will provide description of the assistive technology with specifications for design. He will communicate weekly with the students as needed to ensure the design has a strong likelihood of success as assistive technology. Ned will correspond with the professor leading the class to make sure the learning objectives are met for the class.
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5-day Professional On-the-job Worksite Assessment Training in Michigan
On-the-job worksite assessment training in Grand Rapids will quickly provide an ATP or new hire with an intensive learning experience. The training will provide on-farm task experience driving tractors, climbing ladders, working with livestock, checking fences, and making repairs with tools. Multiple farms will be assessed for assistive technology needs. Research will be completed, price quotes gathered, and recommendation reports written. By the end of the week the ATP will be trained, practiced, and ready to go home to perform on-farm assistive technology assessments and reports for vocational rehabilitation and other payers. Benefits of Assistive Technology Specialist training · Learn best practices for assessing farm and skilled trades worksites for people with injuries or disabling illness, · Learn how to research available assistive technology for trades, agriculture and natural resources, · Tailored learning speaks directly to the individual and their current skill sets, · Make AT recommendations that will actually be used instead of abandoned behind the barn, · Receive annual reviews of assessment reports for continuous improvement. Day 1 ► Welcome and Overview of the Week's Training ► Tour an assistive technology demonstration farm Day 2 ► Researching and identifying viable assistive technology ► Accessing assistive technology sources ► Client and assistive technology files and records Day 3 ► Assess a new farm client with the trainer in the lead role ► Review the assessment experience in private afterwards ► Assess a new farm client with the trainee in the lead role ► Review the assessment experience in private afterwards Day 4 ► Work together drafting a report for the client from the morning before ► Trainee work alone drafting a report for the client from the afternoon before ► Discuss assessment and report strengths and improvements Day 5 ► Trainee does new farm client assessment under observation ► Trainee writes their own agricultural AT evaluation report ► Trainer grades the work and presents a scorecard certificate ► As desired, the trainer will do an annual trainee report review
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2-Day Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Worksite Assessment Training in Lowell, MI
This training is provided to focus on Agricultural Assistive Technology and prepare candidates for the RESNA Assistive Technology Professional exam. Sessions will include disability etiquette; medical conditions; assessment models, interview, observations, and reports; and assistive technology for farming. The group will complete an assessment at a local farm to apply lessons learned in the training. Attendees may be eligible for up to 10 RESNA certified CEU’s after successful completion of the training.
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2-Day Tools and Resources for Farmers with Disabilities Collaborative Training in Your State
This is two days of learning about assistive technology and assessments tools skilled workers with disabilities. This training is for anyone with an interest in helping farmers with disabilities work safely on their farm. That may include vocational rehabilitation service providers, occupational therapists, farmers, agricultural professionals and educators, and more. Day One will be held in the classroom and will feature a variety of topics including: · Conversations with farmers about assistive technology (AT) needs · Assistive technology demonstrations · Assistive technology assessments · Approaches to connecting farmers to AT · Lunch will be provided. Day Two will include visits to two farms to see assistive technology assessments in action. Ned Stoller will demonstrate assessments on-farm with farmers, including discussion and real-time practice. Addresses of the farms will be shared with registered participants. Participants are responsible for their own transportation and lunch on Day 2. The trainer for these sessions is Ned Stoller. Ned Stoller has a BS in agricultural and biological engineering from Purdue University (1997) and is a RESNA certified Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist/Assistive Technology Professional and agricultural engineering consultant for Michigan AgrAbility, National AgrAbility, Michigan Rehabilitation Services and Fulfilling Life Ministries. Since beginning his assistive technology career at Purdue University in 1998, Ned’s mission has been to encourage people with disabilities that they are loved by God and have great value and can find dignity in work. His goal is to present this training in all 50 states.