With the weather warming up its time to think about outside activities and getting those gardens going. Individuals with a disability can receive all the benefits of gardening like stress relief, better mental health, exercise, brain health, and nutrition. Below you will find a variety of resources and assistive technology items to help make gardening as enjoyable as possible, and since I think of myself as an “urban farmer” all of the following devices and advice make sense for me and everyone.
The first thing to think about is the physical access to the plot being used. Do you need the dirt to come up to you or help getting down to it?
Josh Spece talks about raised beds: In The Country Garden and Gifts
Options for getting down to the plot include the following items (click on images for further information):
Garden Kneeler:
Lawn Cart:
Garden cart with seat:
Specialized tools for planting and tending to plants:
Garden City Magazine provides a great listing of accessible tools.
Finally the Washington Assistive Technology Act Program provides a presentation on assistive technology for gardening and outdoor entertaining.
Take a look at all of the great resources and let IPAT know if you are looking for something specific to help in your gardening needs.