Sam Bailey says life with a disability is much different

Today most tractors and headers are hand-operated, side-by-side vehicles have automatic transmissions, drones that can place you anywhere on a property within minutes, and the world is an unlimited place thanks to Google and YouTube, he said.

"We were modifying vehicles with hand clutches 30 years ago, and my first quad bike had a bit of pipe welded to the gear lever so I could change gears," he said.

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"I think the public's perception, which has allowed us to partake in more activities, certainly there are a lot of people with disabilities now on flying higher.

"A lot of people will now employ people with disabilities on farms, and they have worked out that we can give and we can offer a lot (to their operations)," he said.

Mr Bailey, a renowned and well-travelled public speaker, said changes for the better included travel and accommodation.

"It's very easy for me to jump on a plane at Moree and be in Sydney in a short time," he said.

"It's all wheelchair accessible, with cabs, accommodation, and ramps everywhere.

"Certainly, technology has come a long way. People on farms with limited hand and arm use can operate a drone and a computer. So they use their head, but someone else's legs and arms.

Mr Bailey said organisations like AgrABILITY Australia, a self-help network for farmers and farm workers with disabilities, which he had some involvement with setting it up in its early days, were a great form of assistance.

"It's a database of people and farmers with disabilities that has helped many people."

Mr Bailey said farmers were often more adaptable and inventive when a problem emerged.

"You know, typical farmers will grab a bit of steel and a welder, and they can make something. The sky's the limit.

"Of course, every disability is different; no two are the same, and what works for me won't work somewhere else and vice versa.

Changes in the online world have been a remarkable boost in assistance.

"YouTube is just incredible, type in anything, and it just comes up. It's been an excellent tool. And you know, I didn't have any of that when I first got home."

ACM Agriculture is sharing stories of people succeeding in agriculture with disabilities, as we lead up to International Day of People with Disability on December 3.