Logging with a disability

Abstract

Vocational rehabilitation for those involved in the logging and forestry industries has traditionally been of placement outside of the industry. Nationally, logging ranks as one of the most dangerous occupations with an accident and illness rate far above other occupations except coal mining. Many loggers find themselves with a career threatening disability and very few rehabilitation professionals unfamiliar with the industry and the available assistive technology. The Vermont/New Hampshire AgrAbility Project has begun to link loggers and rehabilitation professionals with ideas on modifying equipment and worksites through assistive technology to return to logging. Sam J. one of the first loggers to be saved, is being retrained in the field to operate a log loader with several modifications providing safe and easy access and operation of the machine.