How Does Your Accessible Garden Grow?
Paul Jones
Session Overview:
If you’re like many Americans, you participate in some type of gardening activity. In addition to providing benefits to physical and emotional health, gardening can be an important source of food, particularly for those at risk of experiencing food insecurity. Disabilities and other functional limitations can sometimes make gardening activities challenging, but there are many options for making gardening more accessible.
This session will address such topics as accessible garden design, assistive technology for gardening and other outdoor activities, and the importance of protecting and preparing your body for gardening activities. Since some CILs might be supporting community gardens or similar projects, the application of universal design to community gardens will also be discussed. A wide variety of gardening-related tools will be demonstrated and available to examine. Participants will also learn about the USDA AgrAbility Program that assists agricultural workers with disabilities and the National AgrAbility Project’s services and resources, including The Toolbox Assistive Technology Database.
Additional Materials for this Session:
About Your Presenter:
Paul Jones
Paul Jones is manager of the National AgrAbility Project, a USDA-funded outreach program for agricultural workers with disabilities, which is administered through the Purdue University’s Breaking New Ground Resource Center in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He has been a staff member in Purdue’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program since 1998. Paul began managing Indiana AgrAbility Project in 2000 and began managing the National AgrAbility Project in 2008. He specializes in educational materials, including publications, videos, and distance-learning resources.