Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994 TAG: 9405140001
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two of the switchboard operators at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood are handicapped. Chris Smith, 42, is blind, and Mark Brown, 25, has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair.
Smith came to work at the hotel in June, 1993, and ``there was some apprehension as to whether Chris could perform,'' said Alan Elder, director of operations.
``But then I met Chris, and I felt very comfortable with him.''
Elder was so comfortable that when another opening came up in December, he hired Brown.
``They're two of the best employees I ever had,'' Elder said.
So far, the only changes he has made have been to allow Brown to park in a handicapped space in front of the building, rather than at the rear with the other employees, and to purchase talking software so Smith can hear the messages he takes, as well as a printer to take the place of handwritten notes.
Although the computer equipment was an additional expense, Elder said, the printer is something all the employees can use.
Brown and Smith were helped into their jobs by Goodwill Industries Tinker Mountain Inc.
The organization provides employment for the disabled at sheltered workshops and trains them to join the regular work force through a supported employment program, which began in 1988. Potential workers are referred to the program by the Department of Rehabilitative Services and other agencies.
Linda St. Clair, director of supported employment for Goodwill Industries Tinker Mountain, has a staff of four job coaches.
Their work is twofold: First, they must find the jobs, which is a process much like any other employment search; second, they look at the want ads, they send out resumes, they check with the Virginia Employment Commission, and - like most people - they find most of their leads by word of mouth.
Sometimes, St. Clair said, they try to create opportunities by talking to business people about hiring the handicapped. This often involves tedious door-to-door canvassing.
Once a client has a job, it's up to St. Clair's staff to determine what, if any, adaptive equipment is needed and to learn the job and teach it to the new employee.
``You have to be a quick study,'' St. Clair said.
When that's done, the staffer acts as a coach, visiting the workers on the job, checking to be sure they have maintained their skills and helping them adapt to any changes that come up.
One of the goals of the program is to find challenging, less labor-intensive jobs for the handicapped.
``Everybody's not a production worker,'' St. Clair said. The program ``gives them the opportunity to prove them can perform.''
Smith and Brown both have some post-secondary education, which made them even more employable.
Smith, who lives in Roanoke, took several computer courses to train for his job. Because he had to memorize the computer keyboard and the PBX system, it was a long and sometimes frustrating process. His job coach wasn't sure he would catch on, St. Clair said.
But Smith proved her wrong when he not only mastered the job, but was recognized as the hotel's Employee of the Month in January.
When he's not working, Smith keeps busy reading and walking. He especially likes reading computer books.
Brown, who lives in Blue Ridge, graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in 1986. After a year at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville, where he learned computer skills and bookkeeping, he went to the Tinker Mountain sheltered workshop.
``He could have been [in the regular work force] the whole time,'' St. Clair said, but the opportunity wasn't there.
Besides, ``I didn't have any idea of what I wanted to do,'' Brown said.
Like Smith, Brown enjoys his work at the hotel. When he was starting out, he said, the rest of the staff ``was really helpful. They accept me pretty well. They're a really nice group.''
For now, Brown is working only part time, but he would like to go full time someday and make use of his accounting and bookkeeping experience.
In his spare time, he likes to listen to music and collect sports trading cards.
In June, Brown will face one of the biggest challenges of his brand-new career: The contestants in the Miss Virginia pageant will stay at the hotel. It's a hectic time, said Smith, who worked through it last year. It means there will be plenty of phone calls and plenty of work for them both.
by CNB