Challenges Faced by CCCIL

South Monterey County in California is a rural area that has a large agricultural community. Many residents of South Monterey County are recent immigrants who face language and cultural barriers. Lack of transportation continues to be a major barrier to people accessing services that they need. Most of the people who are currently receiving long-term services from the Central Coast Center for Independent Living (CCCIL) are monolingual Spanish speakers. The pressing problems CCCIL's consumers face are work injuries, lack of housing and health related issues.

The California Endowment 1999 Report on California's Agricultural Workers Health Study (CAWHS) examined California's South Monterey County. Some 15% of the participants of the CAWHS were from the city of Gonzales, and 18.5% of the CAWHS participants reported having a workplace injury at some point in their farm work career. The report concluded that the risk for chronic disease is "startlingly high" for a group that is mostly comprised of young men. The report detailed a survey of self-reported health conditions by the agricultural workers and doctor-reported health conditions based on physical examinations of the agricultural workers.

The self-reported health conditions included dental, respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urinary, eye, ear, traumatic injuries, emotional illnesses, and ethno-specific illnesses. The doctor-reported health conditions included tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, anemia, arthritis/rheumatism, stroke/embolism, asthma, hepatitis, allergies, skin conditions, learning disabilities and neurological disorders. Environmental illnesses and exposure to pesticides is a growing issue in South Monterey County. According to a 1999 report issued by the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, 34 illnesses or injuries in Monterey County were suspected or confirmed to be caused by pesticides.

By understanding the various areas of agricultural employment, CCCIL has a better understanding of the disabilities that come from working in agriculture. CCCIL assists past and present agricultural workers with environmental illnesses deriving from pesticide use, mobility impairments incurred picking and packing crops, workers with amputated limbs caused by machinery accidents and various chronic illnesses as noted in the CAWHS study.

For more information on the issues people with disabilities face in California's South Monterey County, visit the CCCIL web site, or call CCCIL at 831-757-2968.