AgrAbility Makes Connections to Help Lee County Farmer Stay Mobile

David Dyson has been farming blueberries most of his life.

Thanks to help from the North Carolina’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the NC AgrAbility program at Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T, he is able to continue his work despite a life-changing accident.

Dyson spent his early years in eastern North Carolina, the heart of the state’s blueberry production, where he worked with his grandfather planting and harvesting fruit that helped put him and his siblings through college. In 2000, the family moved to Sanford where Dyson’s father had a new job. They started a u-pick farm near Sanford, now known as Blueberry Hill Farm. Over the years, the farm has grown to include other commodities, such as blackberries, strawberries and cut flowers, and has partnerships with several grocery store chains to provide fresh berries.

“I enjoy farming and I’ve been doing it my whole life,” said Dyson, who holds a degree in landscape and horticulture technologies and agribusiness from NC State University. “I’m grateful that I can keep doing it.”

Dyson just turned 40, but his farming career and his life took a dramatic turn in 2017, when during a family get-together, he dove from a sandbar into the Black River as he’d done many times before. This time, however, was different.

“I ran across the sandbar into the water about knee deep and dove, but something was under there,” Dyson recalled. “I hit the left side of my head and smashed my C5 vertebrae.”

Since then, Dyson has navigated life as a quadriplegic. He spends a lot of time in physical therapy, hoping to one day be able to walk again, and drives a specially equipped van. His landscaping work is now limited to paperwork, and for several years, the only way he could get around the farm was on an old golf cart.

That changed in 2023 when Dyson talked to Betty Rodriguez, the manager of the NC AgrAbility Partnership at Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T. He learned about the purpose of NC AgrAbility and how it might change his life yet again—this time for the better.

“Working with David has been a delight since day one,” said Rodriguez.  “David is family-oriented, active despite his disability, and very positive and determined. His family is always supporting him. In David, we see not only a farmer with a disability, but with many abilities, knowledge, and a commitment to his work. With the collaboration of the NC Assistive Technology Program and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the NC AgrAbility Program helped David meet his particular needs and stay actively engaged in his passion and occupation.”

Dyson says he is grateful for the assistance.

“When you lose your mobility, when you lose your legs and hands, it affects every aspect of your life – mental, physical and spiritual,” he said. “Any little bit of freedom you can regain is priceless.”

AgrAbility was launched in 1991 by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The program aims to improve the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers with disabilities by recommending assistive technologies, modifications to work environments, and accommodations. It consists of a national AgrAbility project and state and regional projects that all work in partnership with land-grant institutions, nonprofit organizations, and other programs that serve people with disabilities. 

NC AgrAbility helped Dyson connect with North Carolina’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which helped him develop specifications, and obtain and pay for a new all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Dyson operates the vehicle with hand breaks and can move in and out using a ramp and a  “mobimat,” a flexible nonslip rollout mat that makes outdoor areas more accessible to wheelchairs.

“Vocational Rehab Services played a huge roll in the entire process,” said Dyson. “They were involved in every aspect of this, attended meetings and helped me complete all the specs.

“Now I can get all over the farm,” he continued. “I can spray, put down fertilizer, look for diseased plants, and scout for the harvest. Before, I could get into a golf cart and ride around a bit, but with this, I’m self-sufficient. It’s complete access to the farm.”

Dyson is also a participant in a grant application aimed to assist NC farmers by providing full access to sustainable practices and equipment modified for varying ability levels. If received, the funding will come from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education ( SSARE) program and the grant will be managed by Cooperative Extension at A&T.

“The idea is to enable accessibility for our farmers and to be able to plan to age in place,” said Crystal Cook Marshall, Ph.D., director of the NC AgrAbility partnership with Extension at A&T. “This program would allow farmers like David to pilot adaptive technologies for their utility and function.”

Dyson knows from experience that many farmers with disabilities – or farmers who are simply getting older – tend to give up on their work because it is too hard on their bodies. He hopes more will have the chance to work with NC AgrAbility, and encourages anyone who thinks they need assistive devices to contact NC AgrAbility or their county Extension office to learn more.

“My experience has been positive, and I would encourage anyone to reach out,” he said. “”I am just very thankful. Because of this piece of equipment I am able to get out in the field and do more.”